Mifflin Neighborhood Association members discussed a proposed student apartment building on North Bedford Street Thursday.
The proposal calls for the demolition of an existing single-family house at 125 N. Bedford St. to make way for a new four story, eight-unit apartment building with 23 bedrooms.
Building owner Todd Meinholz said he wanted to market the new apartment building to students.
“This is what the Mifflin neighborhood needs,” Meinholz said. “I think the building presents a value to the student population.”
The Neighborhood Association had no objections to the proposal, according to member Scott Kohler.
Member Dave Birch said all the building’s specifications except for the width of the lot would conform to the new zoning codes designated in the Downtown Plan, a comprehensive planning and development guide for the city, which was approved by Common Council in July.
The new zoning codes will allow new developers to purchase multiple lots in order to build larger developments like the building Meinholz is proposing, according to Birch.
Birch said the planning staff wants to conduct a study of the new zoning requirements and until the study is completed, the Bedford site will continue to operate under the old codes.
The Bedford lot is 33 feet wide, but the new zoning codes require lot widths to be at least 40 feet wide.
Meinholz said owners of the adjacent lots would not sell him their properties to increase the lot width.
“I don’t think the city should hold Todd hostage for having a site that is too narrow,” member Rosemary Lee said.
While Meinholz’s proposal does not include vehicle parking, it does plan for five moped spaces and 24 covered bike stalls.
The Plan Commission will review the proposal at its next meeting, and construction is expected to begin January 2013 to be completed by August 2013.
