Iola Mayor Bill Shirley is certain that a majority of Iola City Council members are in favor of seeing a new Allen County Hospital constructed on North Kentucky Street.
“But that’s not what’s keeping me up at night,” Shirley told the Register this week.
Iola council members will vote Tuesday on whether to accept a recommendation from the Iola Planning Commission that would deny a zoning change, thus prohibiting construction of the hospital on land owned by the Hopper family on North Kentucky Street. Rejecting the Planning Commission’s recommendation — something Shirley supports — would allow the zoning change to proceed and construction to begin soon.
Planning commission members voted in September to reject the zoning waiver submitted by the county seeking to convert the land from residential use to commercial. The Planning Commission’s ruling is not binding — city councilmen have the final say — but overriding the group’s recommendation requires a super majority, according to Kansas law.
That means at least six votes, not five, are necessary for the zoning change, Shirley explained. Shirley will be asked to vote along with the eight council members.
He is in favor of seeing the site built along North Kentucky instead of on land north of Oregon Road, the other site under consideration.
Building north of Oregon would require the city to annex the land, owned by the Huskey family, which would not be connected to any other part of Iola’s city limits, Shirley noted. Annexing the Oregon Road would require substantial investment to extend water, natural gas and electric service lines. The hospital will be responsible for extending sewer utilities.
But to extend the lines, the city would first have to negotiate with outside providers in order to sell the utilities.
That alone precludes Councilman Steve French from supporting the Huskey site. He noted that the only two structures on the property, until further
development occurs, would be the new ACH and the First Christian Church. The city would recoup no property taxes on either.
“That tells me the only way to generate revenues (and paying for the utility extensions) would be through utilities,” French said. “In that sense, I do support the Hopper site.”
Building on North Kentucky Street, which already is in Iola’s city limits, would be significantly cheaper if the city agrees to extend the water, electric and natural gas lines, French noted.
Fellow Councilman Scott Stewart agreed.
“It would be pretty tough for us to annex the Huskey property,” Stewart said.
TWO COUNCIL members disagree.
Joel Wicoff and Beverly Franklin, both of whom live in Iola’s Second district, said they favored building north of Oregon Road. The Second District encompasses the Hopper said.
Wicoff said the Hopper site would be better suited for residential development, and that if commercial development were to occur, the city would be better served farther to the north — such as on the Huskey site.
