A settlement agreement on a nuisance property in downtown Mitchell was approved last night by the Mitchell City Council. The agreement with Ron and Jan Christensen, former owners of the Crafty Fox building at 223 North Main Street, ends a two-year battle between the couple and the City of Mitchell.
“This will bring an end to the long-standing dispute regarding the Crafty Fox building,” said City Attorney Justin Johnson. “The result will be various parties paying money to the city, and then the city paying off the remaining mortgages that are outstanding. That will allow the property to no longer be encumbered by any of those and should allow further redevelopment from there.”
The Christensens filed a lawsuit for more than $500,000 against the city and the Mitchell Area Development Corporation in late 2019. The suit alleges that the city took ownership of the building by using threats and conspiracy. The city and corporation filed a countersuit against the Christensens over unpaid mortgages and the claims of threat and conspiracy. A mediation session was held last month where last night’s settlement agreement was reached. The city now owns the building and is working on renovating it. The city council last night also approved FloorTec to remove lead dust from the building at a cost of nearly $22,000.
Johnson added that “I don’t know that it’s settlement that anyone was real happy with, but they say that the best settlement is one where everyone thinks they lost.”