Lincoln City Council Delays Vote on Permit Application For Townhome Development

LINCOLN–(KFOR Nov. 7)–Lincoln City Council members on Monday afternoon opted to delay a vote on a permit application that would allow the developer of Hawley Hamlet off of 26th and Vine to add one-third of an acre to build eight townhomes.

The reason for the delay is to allow the developer and area residents continue negotiations, after opponents to the plan claimed during a public hearing Monday that it didn’t create options for affordable housing.  Wayne Mortensen is the CEO of NeighborWorks Lincoln and told Council members there’s no capacity in the neighborhood for the new units. Plus, it’s not a row-home design.

“It looks like an apartment building that’s subdivided into four units,” Mortensen added.  “It’s not an ownership model, it’s a renter model.”

Mortensen pointed out that a four-bedroom unit for a family with two cars would be different compared to renting out to four college students with four cars in the street.

“26th Street is a dead-end street.  These 32 cars, these eight units will be served exclusively by that one dead-end street,” Mortensen said.  “There are neighbors here that live on that street that are very concerned about what that will do to their neighborhood.”

Initially, the Planning Commission rejected the proposal and the developer appealed it to the City Council.  The permit application is expected to come up for a vote again at the Council’s Dec. 11 meeting.