Land acquisition and construction can move forward on a domestic violence shelter in Platteville after a nonprofit and the city reached a compromise on the required development agreement. Platteville Common Council members unanimously approved an agreement with Family Advocates for the construction of a new 10-room shelter, which also will include offices for the nonprofit. The approved agreement requires a $35,000 development fee to be paid out over 10 years. The biggest change in the updated agreement is the replacement of a payment in lieu of taxes with the much smaller development fee, a change that followed discussion at the council’s November 8th meeting about the shelter’s use of city resources. The shelter will pay around $3,500 per year for 10 years under the agreement, while an initial proposal would have required a yearly $12,400 payment that would be adjusted each year for inflation. The shelter serves families in Grant, Lafayette and Iowa counties.
