The city of Warrenton has approved plans for construction of almost a dozen new apartment buildings at the corner of Highway AA and the North Service Road.
The development, named Creekside …
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The city of Warrenton has approved plans for construction of almost a dozen new apartment buildings at the corner of Highway AA and the North Service Road.
The development, named Creekside Apartments, will bring 124 new, middle-income apartments to Warrenton. The developer, Ed Schmelz, is the owner of the Orange Blossom Estates senior apartments currently under construction on North Highway 47, along with several apartment complexes in Franklin County.
Schmelz presented plans for the Creekside Apartments to the Warrenton Board of Aldermen June 16, with aldermen voting 6-0 to approve.
Schmelz said he will finalize his purchase of the 18-acre property on the North Outer Road in July, and will begin moving dirt immediately after. When complete, the apartment complex will have 11 buildings, with units in a mix of sizes.
Schmelz said the price range for the apartments will be anywhere from $650 per month for a one-bedroom apartment, to $1,150 per month for a three-bedroom townhouse.
Ward 2 Alderman Gary Auch commented that the new housing would benefit Warrenton’s growth.
“Shortage of apartments in this area is critical. ... It’s darn right impossible to find apartments in our area,” Auch said. “If you have teachers or (young) people coming in as startups, who want to start in an apartment, we just don’t have anything to offer.”
Some nearby property owners are unhappy about the development. They voiced their concerns during a preliminary planning and zoning hearing June 4.
“I believe that things along the Service Road there are for commercial use, not residential,” said Marilyn Sides-Hoenig, who owns property east of the development. “Residential would bring our property values down. ... I’ve been in two areas where apartments came in and ruined them.”
Steve Scott, who lives on property adjacent to the development area, said he would also prefer a commercial development. Scott said he is concerned about more people walking along roads in the area without sidewalks.
As part of approving the apartment development, the aldermen voted to require Schmelz to either build a sidewalk along the North Service Road, or donate easements and funding for the city to build sidewalks in the future.
Aldermen also approved a proposal from Schmelz to split off two sections of the property that touch Highway AA, and designate those areas for future commercial development. Schmelz said he doesn’t yet have specific plans for those lots.
