Planning commission approves conditional-use permit to formalize apartments at 1404 and 1420 Rodeo Road

The North Platte Planning Commission on Aug. 26 voted to approve a conditional-use permit allowing apartments in an existing commercial building at 1404 and 1420 Rodeo Road, formalizing a long-standing rental use and authorizing continued rehabilitation work at the site.

Planning staff told the commission the applicant is requesting the conditional use to legalize long-term apartments already operating on the property and to permit rehabilitation work that will bring additional units back into service. Planning staff reported the site has been used for long-term rentals for more than 12 years and recommended approval. “North Platte is in desperate need of affordable housing,” staff said in the commission’s packet, noting the project could add “almost 30 units in the next 60 to 90 days.”

Jody Hines, owner of Gateway Realty and the project’s general contractor, described ongoing rehabilitation of four buildings on the site. “We are just finishing up our sixth apartment,” Hines said, adding that when work is complete the property will have 51 total units and that 31 units are currently fully available. Hines said the work has included sewer repairs, new flooring, painting, new fixtures and appliances and that an on-site laundromat will be added for tenants.

Peter Ward, assistant pastor at North Platte Baptist Church, which owns property adjacent to the site, said neighbors have experienced repeated problems with trash and tenants crossing onto church property. Ward asked the commission to consider permit conditions that would reduce those impacts, noting that moving dumpster placement previously reduced litter. “We respectfully request that you consider adding conditions to this permit that will benefit not only our property, but the city as a whole,” Ward said.

Sam Fuer of Gateway Realty, the property manager on site, said the property now has local on-site management and that trash pickup frequency has been increased. “We are having anywhere from 15 to 25 people come into our office in the evening coming from Sustainable Beef, who are looking for places,” Fuer said, describing a rapid, immediate housing demand tied to recent job growth in the area.

Commissioners discussed enforcement tools already in the city code, including nuisance ordinances for weeds and trash and the fact that a conditional-use permit can be revoked if permit conditions are not met. One commissioner noted the conditional-use process imposes additional responsibility on the property owner because noncompliance can lead to revocation of the permit.

A motion to approve the conditional-use permit found the request met the minimum standards stated in the North Platte Code of Ordinances, section 156.322, and included a general requirement that the applicant conform to all applicable ordinances, laws and regulations and provide adequate water, sewer and drainage. The motion passed; the transcript does not record a vote tally. The commission’s approval will be forwarded to the City Council for a separate public hearing on Sept. 2.

Other details discussed at the meeting included onsite sewer repairs performed by Waldingers, cleanup work by PuroClean and plans for new dumpsters and increased trash pickup service by Rooster. Planning staff and commissioners noted that because the property has been used as long-term rentals for more than a decade, the conditional-use review is primarily a formalization of that existing use coupled with oversight of the rehabilitation work.

The meeting record also notes that the city attorney said revisions to the city’s RV regulations are being drafted and will return to the planning commission in September for review.