Wausau City Council Approves Single-Family Home on Vacant Lot

Thursday, September 25th, 2025 -- 8:00 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) A former Wausau resident will build a single-family home on Wyatt Street, putting a long-vacant parcel back on the city’s tax rolls.

According to Mike Leischner with WASU, Alder Lou Larson, who represents the neighborhood, says it’s exactly the kind of project that the area needs. “It’s probably exactly what [they’ve] been asking for all along. So, I will be supporting this.”

The majority of the council followed suit. The measure passed 9-1, with Terry Kilian the lone no vote. She questioned the $3,500 sale price, saying she wanted the city to get more out of the deal. “I feel the value of that lot, which is three combined city lots, is not adequate [for the sale price.]”

Council President Lisa Rasmussen said the city has taken heat for sweetheart deals with developers, so it’s only fair that a private citizen gets similar treatment. “It’s an opportunity for us to help, just anyone. We get a lot of criticism that we tend to incentivize large projects, but this is a single-family home that will be an asset to a neighborhood. And they need something to happen on that site.”

Community Development Director Randy Fifrick noted that the land has been under city ownership for nearly 20 years. He also confirmed that the DNR would not hold the city liable for any environmental remediation once the deal closes, something that members of the Economic Development Committee were concerned about when they discussed the proposal.

Earlier this summer, the property was the subject of a canceled development deal for duplexes, which was nixed after it was discovered that the person behind the development was 17 years old.

Alders also voted to approve a new seven-year garbage and recycling contract with Harter’s Fox Valley Disposal. That motion was pulled from the consent agenda, but was not discussed before the vote.

The new deal comes with a per-home fee increase of $3.21, from $8.29 to $11.50, meaning the city will pay about $1.4 million annually for residential trash and recycling pickup.

Though that price was significantly lower than a bid from Waste Management. The city’s current ten-year deal with Harter’s expires this year. The city had an option to extend the deal but did not exercise it.

Had they done so, Harter’s could have canceled the contract because the price hadn’t kept up with inflation.

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