PAPILLION, Neb. (KMTV) – The old Papillion Public Works building will soon be converted into four new apartments while still maintaining the original stone structure.
- The old Papillion Public Works building will be turned into four apartments.
- This will be the first new apartments tot come to downtown.
- The developers will also build 40 new units behind in the lot behind the building.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The old Papillion Public Works building that sits empty now will be converted into four apartments while maintaining its original stone structure—the first new apartment option to come to the downtown area.
Daronn Washington, a Papillion neighbor and business owner said it's exciting to know more people will move downtown.
"I love it, everything that the city is doing from the standpoint of redoing the park across the street, new apartments, a lot more projects going on. I think it is going to be a good addition to Papillion, especially since Papillion is growing so much," he said.
Bringing more options for neighbors to live and work downtown has been a top goal for the city, but according to Mayor David Black, the city didn’t want to change the characteristics of downtown.
"How do you bring density and character and neighborhood and a community feel? Being able to bring the density down here and use that land, now somebody can walk to downtown businesses, they don't need to bring their car over," Black said.
According to the developers of the site, Urban Waters, their goal is to bring a housing option that fits Papillion’s strong community feel and that’s why they chose to repurpose the historic site.
"We are grateful we get to try to honor the history of it and then build additional housing options around it so that we bring that vibrancy and people get to see it every day and walk by it and see it every day and enjoy it," Laura Tarpinian, development manager said.
Urban Waters will also build 40 missing middle housing units, meaning a mix of townhouses and apartments, on the plot of land behind the old public works building. The city still owns the land and building, the last step is for the city council to approve a special use permit for the developers.
The special permit will be voted on during Tuesday's city council meeting.
