Rezoning of motel property delayed

CLINTONVILLE – The final approval of the request to rezone the Clintonville Motel property from B2-Retail District to R3-Multiple Family District, which would allow the motel to be converted to low-income apartments, has been delayed.
The Clintonville Common Council had originally approved the first reading of the ordinance that would allow for the property to be rezoned to Multiple Family District when it met Dec. 9. The ordinance needed to be approved twice, and at the Dec. 9 meeting, Clintonville City Administrator Caz Muske said the second reading would come before the council at its Jan. 13 meeting.
When the city released the agenda for the Jan. 13 meeting, the second reading of the ordinance to rezone the property was not on the agenda. When contacted by the Clintonville Tribune-Gazette via email as to why the second reading was not on the agenda, Muske stated, “We are waiting on some final site planning documentation from the owners. It is planned to receive those for the February City Council Meeting to then proceed with the 2nd reading.”
Council meeting
At the Dec. 9 council meeting, Muske told the council, “The property is looking at converting from a motel operation to an apartment operation.”

Ald. Brandon Braden asked if the plans that are being created to convert the motel to an apartment complex would need to be approved by the city’s building inspector.
Muske said they would need to be approved by the building inspector.
“Even if there is a conditional use issue, if there is an ordinance that is approved, that does not negate any building or fire code or the review process that we have internally, this just allows the use to be conducted on said parcel,” Muske said.
Council President Greg Rose told the council that when the Plan Commission met to discuss the rezoning, it was stated at that meeting that the U-Haul business on the property would no longer be on the property once it becomes an apartment complex.
Plan Commission
The Clintonville Plan Commission held a public hearing on Nov. 18 regarding the rezoning request. In the petition request to rezone the property, which was submitted by Lataben Patel, it was stated, “The goal is to convert the motel into multi-family apartments to support the demand for low-income housing in the community. The motel will be converted into efficiency/studio units to provide additional 16-20 units for low-income housing at an affordable rate. Projects like this are ongoing across the state and nation to tackle housing crisis in rural and small cities.”
According to the minutes from the Plan Commission meeting, the commission discussed “additional permit requirements, the project timeline, low-income housing vs. workforce housing, and the anticipated rental rate” before the commission recommended the council to approve the rezoning request.