By Pat Culverhouse

Sibley’s board of aldermen believe a proposed subdivision inside the town limits on U.S. 371 will be a reality, but it could be coming to fruition under different conditions following Monday’s meeting.

Aldermen voted unanimously to declare the site of Lane Meadows, approximate seven acres, as surplus which would pave the way for opening the property for public bid to potential developers.

“We want to see the dream Mayor (Jimmy) Williams had for developing this subdivision come true, but after much research we found unanticipated expenses that the town simply cannot cover,” interim Mayor Robert Smart said. “We’re simply taking a different direction to make this happen.”

Smart said those expenses would have dramatically increased the price of individual lots. “We spent a lot of time studying the project and we believe this is the most appropriate way to keep it on track,” he added.

Under Williams, the town had purchased the property located just inside the northern city limits. A 21-lot development was platted and plans had been moving forward to begin dirt work in early summer of this year.

Lane Meadows was a unique concept for a subdivision with the town of Sibley owning the property and promoting the development, which included selling lots for homesites.

After consulting the town’s attorney, Smart said the decision was made to seek the Sibley board’s approval to declare the property as surplus, and schedule a public hearing on Monday, April 8 to discuss seeking public bids.

“We’ve already been in contact with potential developers who have expressed an interest in developing the property,” Smart said. “Our intentions are to see Jimmy’s vision for Sibley’s future continue to come true.”