The company that is constructing condominiums at the former East Ward Elementary school building would like them to be used as timeshare/vacation rentals.

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Dan Childers of Sebring, Fla., and his company Austin Macy and Co. LLC is requesting a special exception from the McCook Planning Commission Monday night to allow the condos to be rented out as timeshares and/or a vacation rentals. The meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. at City Council Chambers at Memorial Auditorium.

Three public hearings will address this request.

One will amend current ordinances to adopt two new definitions, timeshare and vacation rental.

Another will amend a zoning ordinance that would allow the use of a timeshare or vacation rental in a residential medium density area and the third will be for a special exception to allow the timeshares/vacation rentals.

City staff has recommended approval of the special exception and proposed amendments. Currently, boarding houses, rooming houses and bed and breakfasts are allowed in residential medium density neighborhoods and staff felt there will be little to no impact with the addition of a timeshare.

According to background information submitted to the Planning Commission, construction is nearly finished on converting the former school building on the 500 block of East Fifth into seven condominiums.

During construction, meetings with the McCook Economic Development Corp. and other businessmen in McCook resulted in Austin Macy and Co. LLC developing a marketing/sales program that they believe will benefit the project.

Many of the units in the structure, now named the Rayburn Building, have been pre-sold already to individuals who would like to place their condo's in a rental program that would be managed by Austin Macy and Co. LLC.

The rentals would be used for about a week but there is no intention to have daily rentals so as to not compete with the local motel business.