Emporia City Leadership no doubt was feeling plenty of pride and excitement following the most recent Emporia City Commission action session Wednesday morning.
The main reason for that would be the variety of items that gained commission approval during that time. As part of their agenda commissioners approved a plethora of action items related to major development projects across the community including a resolution of intent to reimburse costs related to the new Emporia Fire Department station project through proceeds of tax-exempt bonds.
After years of discussions and planning, the fire station project is currently out for bid with said bids scheduled to come before commissioners for final action next month according to City Manager Trey Cocking. Throughout the project’s development stage, Cocking has touted how significant of a resource the new facility will be to Emporia’s firefighters and he continued to do so during an interview with KVOE News following Wednesday’s meeting.
On top of the fire station project, commissioners also took action on various items related to two housing development projects in Emporia Wednesday. First, commissioners approved both a resolution declaring intent to issue over $10 million in Industrial Revenue Bonds for the Whittier Place III apartment construction project and a recommendation from the Metro Planning Commission to rezone property at 1200 Whittier Place Lane from single-family detached to multi-family.
In other housing matters, commissioners would approve both a final plat and an ordinance creating a planned unit development overlay for the long-discussed Lockwood Addition at 2915 West Sixth. Lockwood is set to bring more than 20 new homes near West Sixth and Stratford shortly. Assistant City Manager Tayler Wash says all of these projects have been in the development phase for quite sometime and that is not a bad thing.
She says it is important for the city to not rush through the early stages of these projects and ensure every step along the way is taken with intent and efficiency.
Additional business included a presentation on the city’s new credit card processing fee. During their regular study session, which took place at the Emporia Municipal Airport, commissioners held a trio of discussions on the airport itself, social media in local government and cost share matters with the city’s Hazardous Sidewalk program.
Emporia City Commissioners are next set to convene on Wednesday, Oct. 16 where additional conversations on the Vision First economic development study are planned.
