Weinland Park Community Civic Association

Housing Committee
Summary of Meeting of June 8, 2015
Matt Martin, chair of the committee, called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.
Joe Williams and Steve Bollinger of Wagenbrenner Development presented preliminary plans for
developing residential units on the east side of North Grant Avenue. The multi-family buildings
are three-story apartment buildings without elevators. The town houses will be a for-sale product
that will be two and three stories. Mr. Williams said Wagenbrenner Development will seek
variances to the M zoning to permit the development.
Mr. Willliams plans to return to the Housing Committee next month with refinements to the
preliminary site plan. He hopes that construction could begin in the summer 2016.
Committee members asked a number of questions and offered suggestions. In response to a
suggestion, Mr. Williams said Wagenbrenner Development is considering potential retail spaces
along North Grant Avenue between East Eighth and East Ninth avenues.
Bhakti Bania, chief executive officer and architect with BBCO Design, discussed the proposed
Trolley Park project, a two-story, 16-unit apartment building to be constructed on the northeast
corner of East 11th Avenue and North Grant Avenue. The site is currently zoned C4, but the
proposal would rezone it as AR4 for residential to permit an apartment building. The proposal
would require some variances from the AR4 zoning. Ms. Bania thinks the market for the building
will be young professionals and, perhaps, some students. As proposed, the building would have
four three-bedroom units and 12 two-bedroom units.
In the discussion with committee members that followed, one suggestion was to have apartment
entrances facing the street. Ms. Banya said an idea being considered is having patio doors at the
back of the apartments that would face the street. Committee members also suggested the need
for a sidewalk along Grant. Ms. Banya said the proposal must go through the citys variance
process. Construction might be a year off.
Steve Sterrett distributed copies of the Dispatch editorial on June 1 that criticized the federal
Neighborhood Stabilization Program and a fact sheet on the NSP. The Weinland Park
Collaborative used NSP funds for renovation and new housing construction in Weinland Park. If
Housing Committee members were interested, Mr. Sterrett said, more information and a
discussion of NSP could held at a future committee meeting.

Rory Krupp proposed creating historic districts in Weinland Park because the city doesnt have
the resources to expand the jurisdiction of the University Area Review Board. The matter will be
discussed at the next Housing Committee meeting.
The business of the committee being concluded, Mr. Martin adjourned the meeting at 7:20 p.m.

Summary prepared by Steve Sterrett.