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Council approves Highland Townhomes permits, real-estate exchange to enable 72-unit development
Summary
The City Council approved a use permit, zoning changes and a real-estate exchange that together clear the way for a 72-unit multifamily development at NW Thirteenth Street and West Fletcher Avenue; councilmembers and city staff praised interdepartmental coordination.
The Lincoln City Council on Oct. 20 approved permits, zoning changes and a property exchange to allow Highland Townhomes LLC to build 72 multifamily units at NW Thirteenth Street and West Fletcher Avenue.
The council voted 7-0 to approve a use permit (Use Permit 4004a) to develop about 3.45 acres for 72 multifamily units, to change zoning on roughly 0.7 acres from P (public) to OP (office park) and a small parcel from OP to P, and to declare a nearby 0.7-acre city-owned parcel surplus to support the project. Council members also approved a real-estate exchange agreement between the city (on behalf of Lincoln Parks and Recreation) and Highland Townhomes LLC to reconfigure city-owned land for detention and to increase housing density in that area; that motion passed 7-0.
Why it matters: Council members and staff described the package as a coordinated approach to increase housing supply while accommodating stormwater detention and maintaining park assets. Councilmember Beckius thanked the developer, Parks and Recreation and planning staff for “creativity in action” and for enabling a denser housing product in the city.
City planners introduced the items as a linked set of approvals that together permit the developer to amend an existing use permit and rework property designated for public use and detention so the development can proceed. Councilmember Washington said the action represented “creativity in action” and praised the interdepartmental collaboration that allowed detention to be reoriented so housing could be added.
Formal actions: The council approved the use permit and the companion change-of-zone and surplus declarations by unanimous roll-call votes. The real-estate exchange agreement also passed unanimously. The motions were introduced by Councilmember Beckius and seconded during the meeting; each item’s roll call recorded seven yes votes and no no votes.
What happens next: With approvals in hand, the developer and the Parks and Recreation Department will proceed under the terms of the real-estate exchange and the permits. The council did not set additional contingencies during the meeting.
Sources: City council meeting transcript, Oct. 20, 2025. Quotes are attributed to councilmembers as recorded in the meeting.
