The Emporia City Commission has upheld a decision on a requested zoning change for the Plumb Place Property.
The request to rezone the property at 224 E. 6th Ave. from high-density residential to general commercial was denied by the Emporia Metropolitan Planning Commission on Apr. 19. City commissioners voted to uphold that ruling unanimously.
The request came from Eli Fowler who was seeking to have as many as six apartments and was also seeking a conditional use permit for indoor cold storage. Commissioner Jamie Sauder says he has no issue with those plans, however, he does not feel it would fall in line with current zoning regulations.
That being said, Sauder believes having the property zoned for mixed-use, similar to Fowler’s plans, would be the most logical course of action in the future.
Sauder adds that he feels the marketing of the property has been “subpar” up to this point.
The Plumb Place Property is still actively being marketed at this time.
After recessing their action session, commissioners convened with the Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas, Emporia Enterprises and Lyon County Commissioners for the agencies’ joint annual meeting. During that time, RDA President Chuck Scott provided a brief overview of upcoming objectives, ongoing initiatives and the biggest challenges facing the organization, specifically employee recruitment and retention, housing and childcare.
Commissioners then reconvened to conclude their action session and move into their regularly scheduled study session. The main item of business was a discussion on the potential sale of the Carnegie Building.
City Manager Trey Cocking says the city recently received a letter from Jason and Cassie Heffron expressing interest in the property in hopes of repurposing it into an entertainment venue. Cocking explains, per city policies, this interest has now kickstarted a formal process for potential sale proposals that, if approved by city commissioners next month, would be open for a 60-day period.
Aside from the Heffrons, the Emporia Public Library has also expressed interest in the facility to increase its current space. According to Cocking, city commissioners will consider formally approving the proposal process during its next regular action session.
Specific timelines will be announced at that time, pending commission approval.
Commissioners also discussed a Kansas Department of Transportation grant of $75,000 to assist with a runway extension for the Emporia Municipal Airport to increase the runway’s length by 5.5 feet. The city was originally seeking a $500,000 grant to extend the runway by 51 feet, however, that was not awarded.
Seeing the need for the extension, KDOT chose to award the $75,000 grant to the city.
The Emporia City Commission will next convene on Wednesday, Jun. 1 at 11 am inside the Municipal Courtroom at White Auditorium.
