Council approves annexation for Hutchinson Place Apartments with conditions

The City Council approved annexation of 5.94 acres for Hoff Homes LLC on a 5-0 vote, clearing the way for the owner of Hutchinson Place Apartments to add seven rental units on property along Hutchinson Road. Ken Vanderhoff, who identified himself as "1 of the owners of, Hutchinson Place Apartments," told the council the site has five buildings with four apartments each on a 4.53-acre lot and is on the city boundary. "With the annexation, we would like to build 7 units," Vanderhoff said. The council motion annexes the full 5.94 acres but applies the city's R-3 zoning only to the roughly 4.53 acres currently developed as the apartment site; the remaining acreage will be zoned consistent with existing densities. The motion included three conditions requiring enhanced landscaping along Hutchinson Road, that the owner "give consideration for reduced rent" if a first responder requests a unit, and that no vinyl siding be used on any new buildings. The motion carried 5-0. The applicant said the complex has more than 25% of renters age 65 or older and that annexation would provide faster city services and access to city sewer; Vanderhoff said the property already has city water and is next to city sewer. He also said the new units "would probably rent for a little more" than existing units. Council members asked for clarification on unit mix; Vanderhoff described one new unit as a three-bedroom and another as a four-bedroom, and confirmed the total would rise to 27 units if the seven doors are added. Vanderhoff also said property managers maintain the buildings and have previously offered units to first responders at reduced rates. The annexation replaces a county jurisdiction with city governance for the parcel the applicant identified. The council's action was a zoning-and-annexation approval; no building permits or site-plan approvals were described in the council motion. The council did not specify an effective date for the annexation in the public discussion; permitting and building timelines were not provided in the record.