Iola Planning Commission members endorsed Wednesday a plan to rezone a portion of the old Allen County Hospital site from commercial to residential land to accommodate a new apartment complex along U.S. 54.
The Planning Commission members also unanimously favored a site plan for the complex, which will be built by developer Tom Carlson, working in league with Iola Industries.
Both matters now go to the Iola City Council, which must give final approval for construction to begin.
Code Enforcement Officer Shonda Jefferis told Iola Industries representatives the items will be placed on the Council’s March 28 agenda.
Carlson told the audience he hopes to begin construction May 1 on the two-story buildings.
The complex will consist of two units with 12 apartments in the west complex and eight others on the east.
The apartment complex — the largest of its kind since Parkford Apartments were built in the late 1990s — is the latest piece of development in the works at the old hospital site.
G&W Foods should commence construction in the coming weeks on a grocery store on the south edge of the old ACH property.
Iola Industries has room for another 20 or so apartments — either as duplexes or townhouse units — but likely will wait until after assessing what effect the first 20 units will have on the city’s housing market demand.
IN RELATED news Iola City Council members scheduled a special meeting for 6 p.m. Monday at the New Community Building at Riverside Park.
On the agenda are plans for the city’s upcoming mill-and-overlay projects for 2016 and an executive session to discuss non-elected personnel.
The meeting is open to the public.
