Amid concern about the potential impact on the Main Street business district, Kenyon’s City Council unanimously rejected a proposal that would have allowed apartments to be added to the rear end of first floor commercial buildings.
The council’s action follows the latest recommendation of its Planning Commission, which initially expressed openness to giving downtown building owners the option to add a first floor apartment as a conditional use but turned against the idea.
While the idea was brought to the council by a downtown business owner, the draft ordinance amendment prepared by City Attorney Scott Riggs, as directed by the Planning Commission at its February meeting, faced sharp criticism from a number of other downtown building owners.
To downtown business owner Robert Peterson, allowing first floor apartments could turn downtown into a “ghost town,” with the conversion of crucial space into apartments making it much more difficult for future entrepreneurs to find appropriate space downtown.
In addition to limiting space for potential businesses, Peterson noted that many businesses receive deliveries through the rear alley, and encourage employees to park there as well so that prime parking in front might be available to customers.
Concerns that existing parking may be insufficient at certain times are perennial for downtown Kenyon, as for many downtown business districts. However, many proposals to add parking come with a price tag that would be large for a small town like Kenyon.
Several Councilors have suggested that expanding back alley parking may be one more efficient and affordable way to provide enough space for downtown customers - a model which has proven effective in parts of downtown and in other area towns.
While for the purpose of the ordinance one apartment could house one “family unit,” the definition of a family unit is loose. With potentially as many as five adults allowed to occupy a single apartment, several vehicles might be tied to each apartment.
Other concerns were raised about how such an ordinance would be properly enforced - such as how the “back half” of an apartment would be defined. Notably, rejection of the proposed ordinance will not affect the status of existing upstairs apartments in some buildings.
The discussion comes amid not just concern about inadequate parking, but inadequate housing in Kenyon as well. With little new construction, Kenyon’s rental market is barren with zero vacancies across the five Kenyon apartment buildings with at least 10 apartment units.
Kenyon’s housing stock is dated, with the average home built in 1939, and most rental units are rent-controlled, leaving a significant gap in the market for families who may wish to move to town for work at Plymold or other local businesses.
In addition to looking at proposals to convert currently underutilized downtown buildings into rental housing, the city has invested significant effort into a partnership with Rebound Partners which could convert the former Kenyon Sunset Home and Gunderson Gardens into rental units.
That project could ultimately bring about 50 units to town, but it faces a somewhat bumpy road ahead, with Rebound scrapping plans to apply for a DEED redevelopment after determining it would be too expensive to abide by the state’s prevailing wage laws, as required by the grant.
Without support from the state, Community and Business Redevelopment Specialist Zach Bubany with CEDA (Community and Economic Development Associates) said that Rebound and the city are doubling down on pursuing Tax Increment Financing.
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