Heritage Commission approves RL Lofts renovation, subject to SHPO amendment reviews

The Salina Heritage Commission on May 14 approved a certificate of appropriateness for application CA-25-1, clearing Hutton Building’s planned rehabilitation of the Roosevelt–Lincoln School complex (now marketed as RL Lofts), and separately found the project will not “damage or destroy any character-defining features” of the property as required under the city’s certified local government review.

The commission’s decision follows a staff presentation that summarized the project, its historic status and SHPO review. The rehabilitation plan covers exterior repairs, window restoration, roofing replacement that preserves stone coping, limited interior work to retain the existing 61 apartment units for residents 55 or older, and site improvements including a trash enclosure and minor landscaping.

Why it matters: the Roosevelt–Lincoln property is listed on the Kansas State and National Registers of Historic Places (state: 2006; national: February 2007), which makes the project eligible for state and federal historic tax credits and requires local review of work that needs building permits. The commission’s approval advances a renovation that retains senior housing and seeks tax-credit funding; several SHPO conditions remain under amendment review and must be…