Developer seeks zoning change for downtown apartments

McCOOK, Neb. — A developer is requesting a special exception from a zoning designation so apartments can be located in a downtown building.

The McCook Planning Commission will consider the request at its meeting on Monday, July 12, 5:15 p.m. at city council chambers.

The request comes from Kris Flammang/Tri-Star Investments (in care of Mark Wacker) for a special exception from central business zoning to residential, for a four-plex apartment at a two-story building at 109 East “C” Street. The first floor has been used for commercial purposes and the second story for residential. Flammang would like to convert the first floor to residential units, with each apartment containing one bedroom.

For off-street parking, Flammang previously submitted an application to the Board of Zoning Adjustment, requesting that the parking lot at East First and East D be considered. Four parking stalls would be necessary, he said. The Board of Zoning approved the application as it found the request would not negatively impact the public parking lot.

City Manager Nate Schneider notified the McCook City Council about the request at the regular council meeting Tuesday night.

In other business, after the regular meeting, the council re-convened as the Community Development Agency and unanimously approved a modification in a tax increment finance agreement, requested by developer, Blackwood Enterprises LLC.

Josiah Hegwood of Blackwood Enterprises LLC cited construction delays in the project at 520 West B and requested an extension in the TIF agreement for the project.

Schneider said the project has “been on the books” for about a year, with TIF financing for the project first approved in April 2020. Due to unanticipated delays, the developer asked to change the effective date of the TIF project from Jan. 1, 2021, to Jan. 1, 2022, with the new maturity date of the TIF bond Dec. 21, 2037. This has been done before with other TIF projects and will allow the developers to capture the full 15 years of TIF as intended, Schneider said. Construction is scheduled to be completed by December 2021.

The TIF agreement approved by the city council in April 2020 made $200,000 available to the developer, in a 15-year note with 5% interest. Improvements include renovation of the current building and exterior enhancements to create a retail/commercial space for multiple small businesses.

Hegwood told the McCook Gazette after the meeting that they’ve been on an aggressive schedule but are having problems with a backlog of materials and hiring out some of the work, as many contractors are already booked. He cited steel framing, drywall, and plumbing as going more slowly than anticipated. Work is still being done, he said, just not at the rate originally expected.

The building is being renovated for three to four businesses, he said, although he wouldn’t confirm what those businesses would be at this time.