Richfield city officials have decided that building a community center on a key piece of property isn't feasible, given the financial burden it would put on the city and residents.
Officials cited other reasons to hold off, including the uncertainty of people's post-pandemic plans and the desire of the Minneapolis-Richfield American Legion, which owns the property, to sell to an entity that could lease it as meeting space.
"Every single council member expressed strong feelings that now was not the time," Mayor Maria Regan Gonzalez said.
The idea of building a community center with recreational space has lingered in Richfield for more than two decades. A 1999 referendum brought a community center proposal to voters, but it was defeated nearly 4 to 1.
It arose again a few months back when American Legion officials announced they were selling their property, which is next to Richfield's Veterans Park. The site's proximity to the park and other municipal amenities would make it ideal for a community center, city officials have said.
"That's why this conversation is happening right now," Regan Gonzalez said. "We needed to get the consideration of a community center addressed up front."
But city officials estimate a new community center would cost $40 million to $90 million, not including space for parking and expenses such as demolition or soil correction.
Owners of a $250,000 home would see a tax increase of $227 to $393 depending on the center's price tag, and even a community center on the low end of the scale would nearly double the tax levy used to service the city's debt.