Land adjoining Central Gardens of North Iowa sold

A Mason City developer has purchased the lot located immediately north of Central Gardens of North Iowa for $200,000.

The one-plus acre parcel was placed on the market in March 2012 at an asking price of $335,000.  

Donna Eckard, of Lake Iowa Realty, confirmed that the owners of the property, Burns & Burns Architects, of Iowa City, sold the property just before year-end.  Documents filed at the Cerro Gordo County Courthouse identify the buyer as BD Development LC, with Craig B. Skott and Ronald R. 

Steward as managers of the development company.

They could not be reached for comment.

Burns & Burns purchased the former Central School building and northern 155-feet of the school site from the school district in May 1999 for $63,000. The school district was responsible for demolition of the school building.  Burns & Burns had hoped to build a 30-unit senior housing complex on the site and had applied for tax credits from the state.  The Iowa Finance Authority placed the project on a reserve funding list, but never awarded the $211,000 in tax credits Burns & Burns was seeking.   

Clear Lake Planing & Zoning Commission had granted a zoning change to the property to accommodate a senior housing project.

The Central Gardens of North Iowa Board of Directors discussed the property, but did not submit a bid for its purchase.  Central Gardens is North Iowa’s largest public garden, sitting on 2.75 acres of land located directly south of the land just sold.  Work to develop over 22 theme gardens began with planning in 2000.