Lofts could be in Franklin School's future

When Gary Lunkenheimer purchased the old Franklin School building and the adjoining vacant property in late November he did not know exactly what he wanted to do with it. Since then, he has come up with an idea to turn the school building into loft apartments. Tuesday he presented his request to change the zoning on the property from the current R-1, single family, to R-3 apartment house so he can move forward.

"I think that is the highest and best use for it," Gary Lunkenheimer said.

He said that he would like to renovate the existing building and have 10 to 12 apartments, with rents ranging from $500 to $700 per month.

Lunkenheimer, who came to Nevada 16 years ago as a teacher at Nevada High School, said that it was hard to find a nice apartment when he moved to town, and he thinks it is still a problem.

He also said that in the last couple of weeks about eight people, he estimates, have contacted him about apartments.

However, after hearing from many of the surrounding neighbors at Tuesday's Nevada Planning Commission meeting, as well as the planning commissioners themselves, he has changed his plan and will resubmit his application with more information and a request that only the school building and part of the parking lot be rezoned RP-3. which is a planned apartment district and leave the remainder of the property zoned as R-1, single family. In a planned zoning project, the details of what can and cannot be done and how things are to be done in that specific project are spelled out.

"We don't want this happening in our neighborhood," Warren Schooley, 805 W. Arch, told the planning commission during the public hearing on the zoning change.

Schooley said that he had talked to all but three of the residents who's property faces the Franklin School block and only three were not opposed to turning the building into apartments.

He said that he purchased his house because it was close to the school.

"There is nothing finer than hearing the laughter of children," he said.

Schooley told the planning commission that once the zoning is changed there would be no restrictions on what type of apartment housing would be on the property. The problem is not with a project that Lunkenheimer builds, but what it might become at a later time, with a different owner.

"I'm not in favor of this at all," Odie Braswell, 522 S. Prewitt, said.

He said that he thinks it will hurt the neighborhood in the future, and if something happens to Lunkenheimer and the property is sold, there is no way to know what the property will be used for.

"I'd hate to see it become apartments like downtown," Braswell said.

Mary Ireland, 804 W. Sycamore, said that she has nothing against Gary Lunkenheimer, but she does not want to see the zoning changed from R-1 to R-3.

"That change will change the fabric of a well established neighborhood," she said.

However, according to a zoning map included with the planning commission information on the city's Web site, www.nevadamo.org, not all of the housing in the area is single family. While the property on the west, south and east sides of the Franklin School property are zoned for single family residences, the property along the north side of Arch Street, which runs along the north side of the Franklin School property, is zoned for multi-family. Some is zoned for two-family dwellings and at least one parcel is zoned for an apartment house.

Not all of the residents of the area are opposed to changing the zoning on the property.

"I think his plan for the future is good," said Frankie Davis, 402 S. Spring, who said that she knows that Lunkenheimer is not a slumlord and he has good rental properties.

"Change is good. Change is always good," Davis said.

Lunkenheimer said that what he wants to do is renovate the building to have up-scale loft-type apartments between 600 and 2,000-square-foot in size. And there is already an existing parking lot.

He said that he has no plans to build low-income apartments.

"I'm sorry, there is a shortage of apartments," he said in response to a comment from Lance Christie, that there is already plenty of available housing in Nevada.

"There are very few places that cater to young professionals," Lunkenheimer said.

Christie, 182 Country Club Drive, said that he works at 3M and they have people coming in and out of town all the time. He said that he did not remember any of the young engineers saying that they had trouble finding a place to live.

He said that what he is concerned about is keeping the economy in Nevada stable and limiting the amount of low-income residences in Nevada.

"We need to get more manufacturing jobs," he said.

Planning commissioner Jeff Tweten said that he was interested in the economic development aspects of the project and that he felt that Lunkenheimer has a vision for building loft apartments, but indicated he thought the commission needed more information on the project.

"We don't like to go against the wishes of the neighborhood, because they live there," Tweten said.

However, Tweten said that this is a unique situation, and asked Lunkenheimer what his plan is for the building if he is not able to turn it into apartments.

Lunkenheimer replied that he did not have a back-up plan for the project, which he said will cost several hundred thousand dollars.

Tweten said that the planning commission had to look out for the best interests of the city and the residents.

"We don't know enough yet to be confident," he said.

After listening to the opinions and "thinking out loud," Lunkenheimer asked what he needed to do to change his zoning request to only include the school building and parking lot.

"Tell me what I need to write on the forms," he told the commission.

At this point City Manager JD Kehrman weighed in, telling the commission that the purpose of the hearing was to determine the reasonableness of the current zoning and since the applicant wants to amend the application, that changes it all.

"I recommend that you entertain a motion to keep the public hearing open until some future time," Kehrman said."It's kind of a game-changer that he is willing to only include the school building," he said.