A new owner of the former Taylor Park property on Rhinelander's southside is willing to work with the city on a new entrance to a nature reserve behind the building, but to make sure the city council approved keeping the parking area open for now.
Dwight Webb, agent for Rhinelander Acquisition Group, LLC told the council Monday that he is putting in student housing in the former nursing home. The city has an agreement with previous owners to allow public access to the 34 acre state natural area Holmboe Conifer Forest directly behind Taylor Park through the parking lot. This is the only access point.
Webb told the city council he is concerned about the public going in and out of the area with students nearby. City council member Alex Young said before any conditional use permit is given final approval, access to the Holmboe property had to be preserved in some form...
"...the existing access outlined in your packet is maintained until such time as some new agreement is reached. There's a possibility of some alternate access, so before we make a motion to approve the conditional use permit itself, I will make a motion to that affect that one of the conditions be that existing access is maintained until there's a new negotiation with the Land Trust...."
The Northwoods Land Trust in Eagle River owns the property. The council passed the amendment authored by Young. The matter will return to the city council next month.
