By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
HOWARD – The village board voted 8-1 Monday, Feb. 22, in favor of a preliminary planned development district (PDD) requested by Alliance Management to construct three 16-unit and two 12-unit apartment buildings on a 4.46-acre site within the Lancaster Creek Business Park along Security Boulevard.
Trustee Craig McAllister, who cast the lone dissenting vote, questioned whether current landowners in the business park would sign off on restrictive covenants to allow an apartment development to locate there.
“I kind of feel that without that, this is all for nothing,” he said.
Community Development Director Dave Wiese said not every business there was contacted as of yet by the village, but a letter he received from Village Attorney Robert Gagan stated the restrictive covenants recorded for the business park do not prohibit multi-family housing.
“The restrictive covenants address issues such as building size, parking, signage and landscaping,” Gagan said. “The covenants do not address the use of the property. The ability to construct multi-family housing would be controlled through the zoning of the property and is not prohibited by the restrictive covenants.”
Wiese said the PDD process is in the preliminary stage and requires another public hearing before the Plan Commission before being brought back to the board for final approval.
“There’s still quite a ways to go with this project,” he said.
Weise said the project site would utilize a steep section of land not originally intended for development, providing the village an opportunity to increase the potential tax base over the original plan.
“The steep grade offers the apartments great westerly views while preserving the flatter land for future office development,” he said.
Wiese said the apartment development would be composed of 36 two-bedroom and 36 one-bedroom units.
He said all of the units would have private entrances, with the two-bedroom units also having one-stall attached parking and the remaining cars utilizing the detached parking garages and off-street parking spots.
Alliance Management CEO Erik Goerke said the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the company on moving forward on whether to develop the property in Tax Incremental Financing District No. 8.
Village Administrator Paul Evert said the option to purchase is for $1.
Evert said the apartments would be owned by Alliance Management, similar to the company’s 84-unit Howard Lofts project next to the Village Center.
The company also manages and markets the Howard Commons apartment complex for the village.