A pair of planned development projects are progressing, from a planning perspective, following separate actions by Emporia City Commissioners Wednesday morning.
During their regular action meeting, commissioners held a brief public hearing and later approved Reinvestment Housing Incentive District status for the Cedarbrook Meadows housing development, which is set to be constructed in the 4500 block of West 18th near the Jones Aquatic Center. The proposed development is set to include the construction of more than 120 housing units of 6,240 square feet, which was scaled down from the original plan of 7,000 square feet following months of back-and-forth discussions between developers and the Emporia Metropolitan Area Planning Commission.
Assistant City Manager Tayler Wash explains that Wednesday’s action does not mean any city dollars have been pledged to the development, nor does the city plan to do so, it simply sets up an incremental property tax on the land that can be captured by the developers to help recover some of the cost of construction.
The RHID status has a 25-year lifespan, the “clock” for which will begin “ticking” as soon as the status notification is published Thursday.
In other business, commissioners also approved an ordinance to rezone 1028 Whittier Street, the former home of Abundant Harvest, from Commercial to Flex Use Low. According to City Zoning Administrator Justin Givens, the reason for the change to flex-use is that it will best fit the applicant, and property owner, Merak Development LLC’s plans to construct a new combination apartment complex, comprised of 48 units, and a food pantry, which will be an expansion of Whittier Place Apartments’ footprint in the area.
Before approving the rezoning, commissioners did have a question regarding potential traffic at the food pantry, noting that in past years, food giveaways generated a large turnout that saw traffic backed up for several blocks. Givens says that until the project is complete, it is hard to say exactly what kind of traffic the property may experience.
That said, based on initial plans, Givens tells KVOE news the property will be properly equipped to accommodate any significant traffic that may develop.
Separately, on Wednesday, commissioners approved the city’s City Connecting Link Improvement Program annual agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation for fiscal year 2028. That project involves a mill and overlay project on US Highway 50 from Lincoln to Neosho.
Commissioners also approved an annexation of 600 Overlander Road for an equipment yard as requested by Midcontinent Orion.
Following a pair of executive sessions, commissioners convened their regular study meeting, which included an annual review of services and programs provided by the Emporia Public Library and the commission’s second strategic direction session.
Emporia City Commissioners will reconvene for their regular action and study meetings on Wednesday, April 1 at 11 am.
