Weinland Park Community Civic AssociationHousing
CommitteeSummary of Meeting of June 8, 2015
Matt Martin, chair of the committee, called the meeting to order
at 6:02 p.m.
Joe Williams and Steve Bollinger of Wagenbrenner Development
presented preliminary plans for developing residential units on the
east side of North Grant Avenue. The multi-family buildings are
three-story apartment buildings without elevators. The town houses
will be a for-sale product that will be two and three stories. Mr.
Williams said Wagenbrenner Development will seek variances to the M
zoning to permit the development.
Mr. Willliams plans to return to the Housing Committee next
month with refinements to the preliminary site plan. He hopes that
construction could begin in the summer 2016.
Committee members asked a number of questions and offered
suggestions. In response to a suggestion, Mr. Williams said
Wagenbrenner Development is considering potential retail spaces
along North Grant Avenue between East Eighth and East Ninth
avenues.
Bhakti Bania, chief executive officer and architect with BBCO
Design, discussed the proposed Trolley Park project, a two-story,
16-unit apartment building to be constructed on the northeast
corner of East 11th Avenue and North Grant Avenue. The site is
currently zoned C4, but the proposal would rezone it as AR4 for
residential to permit an apartment building. The proposal would
require some variances from the AR4 zoning. Ms. Bania thinks the
market for the building will be young professionals and, perhaps,
some students. As proposed, the building would have four
three-bedroom units and 12 two-bedroom units.
In the discussion with committee members that followed, one
suggestion was to have apartment entrances facing the street. Ms.
Banya said an idea being considered is having patio doors at the
back of the apartments that would face the street. Committee
members also suggested the need for a sidewalk along Grant. Ms.
Banya said the proposal must go through the citys variance process.
Construction might be a year off.
Steve Sterrett distributed copies of the Dispatch editorial on
June 1 that criticized the federal Neighborhood Stabilization
Program and a fact sheet on the NSP. The Weinland Park
Collaborative used NSP funds for renovation and new housing
construction in Weinland Park. If Housing Committee members were
interested, Mr. Sterrett said, more information and a discussion of
NSP could held at a future committee meeting.
Rory Krupp proposed creating historic districts in Weinland Park
because the city doesnt have the resources to expand the
jurisdiction of the University Area Review Board. The matter will
be discussed at the next Housing Committee meeting.
The business of the committee being concluded, Mr. Martin
adjourned the meeting at 7:20 p.m.
Summary prepared by Steve Sterrett.
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