Marina buyers present proposed improvements to McGregor Council
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
The McGregor Marina, Boatels and Beer and Bratz Garden will have new owners. Shannon Alber, as well as Dylan and Heather Borglum, who plan to close on the purchase in June, introduced themselves at the May 19 McGregor city council meeting.
Alber, who’s from West Union and has a landscaping and concrete business, bought Brown’s Marina in Harpers Ferry three years ago and has since been upgrading it.
“I had people from town approach me two years ago and ask if I had an interest in coming down here,” he said, but held off at the time, fearing it would be too difficult to operate all the businesses alone.
Dylan Borglum grew up near New Hampton and has a place at Harpers, where Heather has been boating for years.
“I fell in love with the river,” Borglum said, and he recently proposed the McGregor purchase to Alber.
This time, Alber agreed.
“He’s got the same ideas I do. We all want to improve everything,” Alber said.
The buyers plan to operate the property as five different LLCs, including three parcels of docks. They’ve proposed around $118,000 in upgrades this year alone, including updating docks and signage, painting and improving accessibility at the restaurant, and constructing a floating storage building and cleaning up the river bank for the houseboat rentals.
“We’re going to get done as much as we can this season and do more throughout the winter,” said Alber. “We want to focus on safety and improving the looks of the place.”
“We’re looking at leasing the Beer and Bratz so we can lighten our load a little bit and focus on the docks and houseboats,” he added. “We’re going to shop in house for someone to lease the building, and hopefully find someone with some experience who can do well for us.”
To aid the improvements, the buyers have requested business enhancement grants from the city, including funding for seven parcels. At last week’s meeting, the council approved setting aside funding for seven grants pending approved applications for each project.
Hearing set regarding zoning change
The council set a public hearing for Tuesday, June 8, at 6:30 p.m., to take comments regarding the re-zoning request from Trilogy Partners, LLC and developer Michael Kramer to change the zoning for the former Holiday Shores Motel property on the riverfront from W1 - waterfront commercial to W2 - waterfront mixed use, to allow for the construction of condominiums.
The McGregor Planning and Zoning Commission recommended a zoning change in April, but with several conditions. The structure must include a minimum 18 units and be architecturally compatible with the rest of the town. The commission agreed to allow up to three stories. Additionally, the condo association bylaws will be required to allow vacation rentals, there must be 1.5 parking spots for each unit and the developers will be asked to consider public use of a private space, such as a walkway and fishing pier. At the advisement of city attorney Mike Schuster, a “drop dead date” will also be established, creating a timeline for when construction must start and/or be completed.
Outdoor furnace ordinance considered
At the May 19 meeting, the council also approved the first reading of an ordinance that would prohibit outdoor furnaces in town.
