A city committee approved two plans for new student apartment complexes on campus after small alterations to account for city requirements.
The Plan Commission approved the proposals for the new apartment complexes, slated to be built in the Dayton/Brooks and West Wilson Street neighborhoods.
Developer Joe McCormick and architect Joseph Lee presented their proposal to the Plan Commission for the Brooks Street apartment. The plan was previously brought before the Urban Design Commission. Despite initial reservations about the proposal from some of the commission’s members, McCormick and Lee said their plan now meets the requirements of the plans for both campus and the neighborhood.
The main problem UDC found with the proposal involved the positioning of the five-story, 14-unit apartment, with members saying the building needed to be pushed back slightly on the ground floor and pushed forward on the third floor.
McCormick assured UDC members the step-ups and step-downs had been fixed in the proposal, which was the issue of most concern to the committee.
“The plan is ready to go, and we would like to get going on it,” he said.
A second apartment on the 600 block of West Wilson Street was presented to the Plan Commission as a 60-unit building that would be on currently vacant land.
Lance McGrath, the developer on the project, said 640 West Wilson Street is located on a gravel parking lot, so no demolition of buildings is required in order for the apartment to be built. He said it has already gone before UDC and received final approval.
“This will be a six-level apartment,” McGrath said. “Four floors will be residential, and two will be for parking. Forty-nine units will be one-bedroom, and 11 units will be two-bedroom.”
McGrath said there will not only be a view of the Kohl Center, but there will also be a fitness room for building residents.
Paul Cuta, an architect working on this apartment building described what the new building would look like, saying the energy of the building would be focused off of Wilson Street, where the entrance of the new apartment will be.
“This building will be along two rail lines, and I believe there will be an interesting energy over in that area,” Cuta said.
Cuta said the front of the building is a bright orange color on the front, which will be carved out to create terraces on the building. There will also be a garden center for residents to visit.
Ald. Marsha Rummel, District 6, said though the area seems a bit out of the way, she is very excited on the developers’ behalf to create a new center of the city.
The Plan Commission approved the proposal for the new apartment at 640 West Wilson Street, and the developers plan on having the construction begin this June in hopes of moving in residents in June 2013.
