The Salem City Council has approved a zoning change to allow for the development of a 72-unit apartment complex on Airport Road south of the current apartments.
Scott Conant is the developer.
“As soon as we get everything approved we hope to start pretty much immediately so it just depends on how fast that can move along. Three phases are the plan, starting with 6 buildings and 24 units. We put it in the contract we signed with the city that it could take up to five years but I’m really hoping it would be closer to three years honestly. As long as they are filling up.”
Conant says one of the units will be set up as a management office. He has agreed to a drainage plan that would retain all water on the property during heavy rains so existing draining issues in the neighborhood and Airport Road are not made any worse.
The development is also contingent on the city putting a residential tax increment financing district in place. Unlike an extension of a TIF district, the city can develop a new TIF without approval from other taxing bodies. Only state approval would be needed, which is currently being sought.
Conant, who is originally from the Alma area, says family and friends have been telling him for the past three years about Salem’s need for additional apartments. He is currently developing another apartment complex in Effingham that has 52 units.
Two concerns were expressed about the project. Salem Fire Protection District Chief Jim Cerny wants to make sure the road to the apartments and the parking lot is large enough to handle the district’s aerial fire truck in the event of a fire. Area resident Dale Jones expressed concern about existing drainage issues in the neighborhood and on Airport Road.
City Manager Annette Sola says they are looking at needed improvements on Airport Road.
“We’ve had discussions many times about closing in the ditches along that road along with concrete pavement, curb, gutters, and storm drains. There is an issue with the water that gathers from several places and ends up on that corner. So several years ago we made some improvements downstream that took care of some of it, but for any new development we are going to have to look at how they retain their water, and how slowly they let that water go back into the system so that we don’t have any additional flooding.”
Sola says grant dollars could also be sought, including a Safe Route to Schools grant that could provide sidewalks along Airport Road and on Boone Street from Airport to Hawthorn Roads.
The city council also unanimously approved two other projects earlier okayed by the planning commission. They are a special use permit to allow Thirsty Heifer to operate a diner/restaurant including sit-down food and to-go orders from the small strip shopping center in the 200 block of West Schwartz Street. A minor subdivision was approved for Dr. Van Acker who wants to split a two-acre parcel he bought on Little Egypt Golf Cars Drive into three lots. He plans to construct a street into the development and will utilize one lot to build his new dermatology clinic.
