It is back to the drawing board for the City of Kewaunee concerning the former Marquette School property.

Developer Jeff Wellhouse notified the city just ahead of its Committee of the Whole meeting Monday evening that he was pulling his letter of intent to purchase the property due to health issues. Wellhouse pursued a certificate of appropriateness from the Kewaunee Historical Preservation Committee nearly five months ago for a proposed “twindominium” project, but was denied by a vote of 6-2.

With the development plan off the table for now, the Committee of the Whole meeting became a forum for what residents hope to see at the site. Mayor Jason Jelinek says it was a good dialogue for the city government and residents to have.

Jelinek says he and council member James Brewster will discuss design elements to show to the public that could provide a starting point for future developers for the site.

Prior to the meeting, Jelinek said in a statement that the city is paying over $67,000 for the debt to demolish the school on top of the $7,000 it pays to cut the grass and shovel the sidewalks on the parcel. The city estimates the proposed development would have provided at least $61,000 annually in tax payments.