Transitions DMC plans to turn Burlington motel into apartments, but neighbors are skeptical

Despite clearing a hurdle, plans to transform the Lincolnville Motel into limited-income apartments may not make it off the ground.

Craig Fenton, founder and president of nonprofit homeless shelter Transitions DMC, on Tuesday presented the Burlington Planning and Zoning Commission with a plan to gut and remodel the motel, located at 1605 Mount Pleasant St., to bring it up to code for use as apartments.

“Our goal is to have no one on the streets," Fenton told commission members. "Our success is having people housed and stabilized.”

Loncolnville is one of several motels up for sale in the Burlington area. Transitions is hoping to pay for the purchase of building and required remodeling, at least in part, through a grant from the National Housing Trust Fund, a federal competitive housing grant funded through the Iowa Finance Authority. Fenton said securing such a grant would get the project started and that ongoing work would be covered by rents collected.

He said he has been working with the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission to identify other grants and financing opportunities.

For the motel to be used as permanent housing, the area must be rezoned from commercial to multi-residential.

The planning and zoning commission recommended the city rezone the motel from a C-2, which allowed it to operate as a hotel, to R-4, which would allow for multi-unit housing.

In addition to the zoning map, which defines specific uses for properties, the city also has a zoning plan that designates what zoning could apply to different areas. When making recommendations about altering zoning ordinances, the planning and zoning commission must consider whether the proposed change complies with the zoning plan. The Lincolnville Motel sits in an area zoned for mixed-use, which means both C-2 and R-4 would match this usage.

Neighbors of the motel, which now offers extended-stay rates, expressed concerns about what limited-income apartments could mean for property values and the quality of the neighborhood.

Darla Gibbons told the commission that she circulated a petition to residents of the area around the motel and that no one indicated they favored the proposed use of the property. Gibbons said she collected 31 signatures.

Tim Gibbons, who owns the property directly adjacent to the motel, said he is concerned about privacy for neighbors in the area and does not understand why such a change would be allowed.

“If it impacts the neighborhood, that's not right,” Tim Gibbons said.

The only person present to speak in favor of the proposed change, other than Fenton, was city councilman Robert Critser.

He said he thinks it is important for the city to provide opportunities to help those in need so they can help themselves and improve their own situation.

Chairman Bryan Bross said he feels the Planning and Zoning Commission does not have a role to play in deciding what can and can't go into a business. Rather, he said the commission must ensure that the city's zoning stays current with what was allocated in the master plan.

Bross suggested that the neighbors should bring their concerns before the city council instead.

Multiple attendees said they were frustrated by having to attend the meeting to express their concerns and expressed further displeasure at the prospect of attending a council meeting for the same purpose.

The city notifies properties within 200 feet of a property slated for a zoning change, but neighbors said that isn't enough as there are some neighbors who are able to see the property from their home but do not fall within the 200-foot radius that is laid out in city code.

The planning and zoning commission does not make final decisions. Instead, it is responsible for advising the city council, which will have the final say.

To make the change, the city would have to amend the zoning map, which takes two to three hearings. When this hearing will take place is unknown as Fenton said he anticipates he will hold several public meetings to lay out what Transitions hopes to accomplish by turning the motel into low income housing.

All notices of public hearings are published on the city's website.

More about the project

Fenton said that initially, he had an idea of working toward a tiny homes project in an effort to combat homelessness, but due to the availability of grant funding, he decided to create a project geared more toward buying one of the for-sale motels in Burlington. The Lincolnville was chosen as opposed to the Howard Johnson, the other motel on the market, because the smaller project is more feasible from a budgetary standpoint.

More: Transitions DMC, city officials explore tiny homes and other housing options for area homeless

The housing unit will be focused on low-income individuals with a maximum rent and utility allowance of about $415. The apartments will be available to rent to anyone who meets federal guidelines, though the specifics of the income requirements may mean it is more geared toward those who receive Social Security payments.

The application for the grant is due June 30. There will be additional deadlines to meet which is why the zoning does not need to be completed To be able to apply for the grant, the project must be shovel-ready, meaning plans are in place and all the project needs is the money to fund it.

Transitions DMC recently opened a homeless shelter that can house 13 individuals per night that Fenton said is usually full.

More: Transitions DMC finally becomes an overnight homeless shelter

He also said there is a group of individuals for whom the shelter isn't a proper fit. The shelter has strict rules and is different than permanent housing, which Fenton said may be helpful for some of Burlington's homeless population as it would function more similarly to a typical apartment building. It will also function as supportive housing with a full-time social worker on staff to help residents.

One of Darla Gibbons’ main concerns was what would happen if residents need to be evicted. Unlike a homeless shelter or hotel, where guests can be asked to leave, residents have rights to not be thrown out.

Fenton said the goal of the program is that none of the residents would need to be evicted.

Using hotel rooms as housing has been a feature of Transitions for some time, largely owing to a federal program aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 through housing unhoused populations.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Plan to turn Burlington motel into apartments concerns neighbors