HOLLANDALE – Bill and Sue Veldman are moving after living in their home for 53 years.

Friday, August 06, 1999

HOLLANDALE – Bill and Sue Veldman are moving after living in their home for 53 years. They are moving three blocks away, and into the first townhouse in the new Six Gables residential development project.

Born and raised in the neat, well-kept community, their roots run deep in Hollandale and leaving it would be difficult.

Alice Fuhr is coming home from Scottsdale, Ariz. She will occupy the second Six Gables townhouse.

Neither happy ending would have been possible without a partnership between the city and a developer.

"We have no vacant houses in Hollandale at this time," said mayor Ted Radke. "We need affordable housing and this is it.

"Our concerns are that our older core of people are selling their homes and moving to Austin and Albert Lea," Radke said. "The council said ‘Let’s see what we can do to keep them here’ We want to attract new residents, too, but we want to have housing options for those who have been such an important part of the community for so long and who want to stay here."

Ground was broken Thursday morning on the Six Gables housing development in southeastern Hollandale. Six duplexes will be built by the developer, The Joseph Company of Austin.

Each of the properties will have 1,200 square feet, including two bedrooms, two bathrooms, vaulted ceilings and attached 2-car garages.

Re\Max Realty Plus and Julie McHugh is marketing the duplexes.

"This is a real cooperative effort between the city of Hollandale and The Joseph Company," said developer Carter Wagner. "The city came to us about two years ago and said they wanted housing alternatives for their residents. They wanted to keep long-term community members close to their home and to improve the tax base of the community."

The first townhouse owners, Bill and Sue Veldman, now live in a large, two-story home and wanted "everything on one level," as Mrs. Veldman explained.

"We felt this would be a pretty good site," said Mr. Veldman of the city-owned tract of land. "Everything will be on one floor. The laundry and everything else."

Both Bill’s and Sue’s families settled in Hollandale after immigrating from the Netherlands and clearly they didn’t want to leave the community. They have two sons and two daughters.

They are exactly the kind of people Radke said the city officials want to remain in the community.

"We have High View apartments, but they are for seniors only," Radke said. "Six Gables will be for seniors and anyone else."

Radke said he moved to Hollandale in 1986. He was elected mayor in 1998.

"The biggest thing about Hollandale is its people," he said. "I’ve never seen such caring and loving people and the Christian upbringing offered here is perfect."

Bryan Majeske, a council member, moved to Hollandale 10 years ago. He and his wife have one son.

"I’m real pleased to see the development," he said. "It’s something we need and I’m glad to see it moving forward."

According to Majeske, South Hague Avenue will be widened and blacktopped to the new residential development. He said there are three other building permits issued for people planning to build new homes across the avenue from Six Gables.

Bernie Drenth and Bob Asper, who was instrumental in convincing Wagner to participate in the partnership, were unable to attend Thursday morning’s ground-breaking ceremonies.

But, Rick Veldman, another council member, was there and he too echoed other compliments heard about the community of less than 300 people in the middle of the rich produce-growing area of Freeborn County.

Veldman, the son of Bill and Sue, and a 2-term council member, and his wife and two children live within eyesight of the Six Gables development.

"This is what happens when a community and a developer team together," he said.

"Hollandale has all the benefits of small town life," he said. "The quality of life in this community is very good. The closeness of neighbors, who help each other, is another attribute."

And now a new housing alternative is another.