County Board Denies St. Joseph Tax Abatement Request For Senior Campus

ST. JOSEPH - A tax abatement request for a St. Joseph senior living campus was denied by the Stearns County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.

Country Manor is planning the campus off County Road 121, west of the Kennedy School. It would start with 60 independent living units and 24 units for memory care. City Administrator Judy Weyrens says the project is still moving forward.

"What it means is the term of the abatement will be extended beyond 10 years because we didn't have the County participate. So we'll do some sort of summary sheet of expectations of what the term of the tax abatement is and the amount."

Information will be brought to the city EDA and a public hearing for approval. Weyrens says Country Manor still hopes to start construction this summer.

"We're still trying to keep their timeline in mind, they anticipate breaking ground in July and we're still working towards that."

Country Manor, along with GLTA Architects and Alliance Building Coorporation presented their plan for the facility during a planning commission meeting in early April.

The facility plans included a beauty shop and spa, a chapel, a small store for amenities with a coffee shop, a wellness area, and other special interest areas along the campus.

It’s estimated the project would cost between $14-$16 million.