A proposal to develop eight duplexes on the vacant ground adjacent to the originals 1908 Owensville Elementary School site will go to a public hearing before the Owensville Board of Aldermen early next month.

Owensville aldermen are scheduled to conduct the hearing at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, prior to the regularly scheduled first meeting of the month. The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously forwarded a rezoning request from Jim Moritz seeking a change from R-1 (single-family residential) to R-4 (multi-family high-density residential district) to develop housing for up to possibly 40 to 50 people.

The site is the current green space in the 300 block between West Monroe and West Franklin immediately west of the 1908 elementary school. The proposed building site would allow access to five buildings off of West Monroe and three off of West Franklin. There will be no through traffic in the eight-unit subdivision, Moritz told P&Z commissioners at their Sept. 25 meeting.

A public notice on the hearing is scheduled to appear Oct. 18 in The Republican. Residents within 185 feet of the proposed development will be notified through U.S. mail from the city about the scheduled hearing. The letter will explain the process for submitting written comments and will invite recipients the public hearing if they wish.

Travis Hernandez, the city’s contracted civil engineer with Archer-Elgin, answered P&Z members’ questions explaining proposed building site is adjacent to R-1 single-family dwelling and multi-family dwellings including the old elementary school being converted into apartments and a duplex across the street and west on Monroe. Moritz plans off-street parking including five along West Monroe and three off of West Franklin.

Hernandez also told commission members the city’s sanitary sewer and water supply in the area is more than adequate to handle services for up to 50 new residents between the eight units. Each unit is proposed to measure 70-by-40 feet for a square footage of 3,150.

Emergency access to the three interior units along West Monroe will come from West Monroe side. Steve Hobein’s motion to forward the request for Board of Aldermen approval received a second from Calvin Ruth and a unanimous vote.

Variance sought

East Washington resident Ed Leach is scheduled to appear at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Wednesday)before the city’s appointed board of adjustment, seeking a variance to build a garage closer to an alley than city setbacks currently allow through ordinance. A public notice about the hearing appeared in The Republican.

A record of the proceedings will be kept by a court reporter. If Leach is unable to obtain the variance through the adjustment’s board, his only recourse would be the circuit court.

A Board of Adjustments Commission public hearing will also be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 1, as announced in a public hearing appearing inside this issue.

John Paul Quick is asking for a variance to allow for the installation of three railcar cabooses which will be converted into short-term rental facilities. The ground is currently un-zoned and was part of the former Rock Island railroad property, now part of the Rock Island State Park. The property is along North Second Street between West McFadden and Marvin Avenue.