Pine City Council to make final decision on 315 Main Street purchase agreement at Sept. 3 meeting

The Pine City Council will make a final decision on the purchase agreement for 315 Main Street on Sept. 3.

The council previously set a Sept. 1 deadline for the final sale of the property, but voted to extend the window at a special meeting on Monday.

In April, the council agreed to move forward with a boutique hotel concept proposed by Solutions Real Estate Group.

During the open session of Monday’s meeting, city administrator Marcy Peterson said the purchase agreement has gone back and forth a couple of times between the city and the developer.

"The last time came from our city attorney," Peterson said.

Solutions Real Estate Group president Jacob Kruse said the attorneys representing him wanted to address potential what-ifs with the project.

"What if COVID hit again, what if somebody else goes and tries to start a hotel up near the intersection? Different things like that, so I had options, so I had different scenarios with the building, and not just be handcuffed to one particular use only," Kruse said. "That was the main thing in the back-and-forth, back-and-forth between everybody."

Kruse said he still has "100 percent" plans to use the historic courthouse building for the project.

"I know there have been some people who have said, 'hey, he's going to tear it down,'" Kruse said. "That has never crossed my mind whatsoever. Not at all."

Council member Kyle Palmer asked if a three-year project timeline would be adequate based on pursuing grant opportunities from government agencies. Kruse said it would be.

When council member Dan Swanson asked if Kruse is still "arrows forward" with the presented proposal, Kruse responded by saying that gaining the title will enable the company to plan further.

"Since the city has chosen to work with me, there's been so many people that have reached out with different scenarios, different options, throwing different stuff at me," he said. "But, no, the original proposal is still what I like."

The council voted 4-0 to extend the deadline; council member Gina Pettie was not present at the meeting.