Eastside motel nears approval for conversion to apartment units
City Council approves zoning modifications, but Mayor advocates for city’s zoning regulations to be made more user friendly
Stillwater City Council
During Monday's Stillwater City Council meeting, city staff presented zoning amendments that would permit Wargo LLC to convert the motel situated at 1324 East 6th Avenue into a 32-unit apartment complex designated as Stillwater Studios.
The property is currently zoned Commercial General, but it requires rezoning to Commercial Shopping in conjunction with a special use permit to facilitate multifamily development.
Mayor Will Joyce expressed his concerns regarding the complexity of our zoning regulations and urged staff to examine zoning categories’ user-friendliness.
“This is why people hate zoning,” Joyce said. “The first time I looked at this, I’m like ‘wait, we’re rezoning it from general to shopping so we can turn it into apartments?’ It makes no sense.”
In response, Vice Mayor Amy Dzialowski, a professional urban planner, acknowledged the complexity of mixed-use zoning regulations.
“Most communities really struggle with residential and office or commercial kind of intermixed,” Dzialowski said. “Which can be really great for properties like this but can be challenging for traditional zoning.”
Councilor Christie Hawkins inquired about the developer’s intentions to modify the layout or structure of the units to accommodate a studio conversion. City Planner Jacquelyn Porter responded that the units will undergo remodeling, which will include the installation of kitchenettes.
Additionally, councilors asked questions regarding the estimated rental prices, lease terms, and the overall safety of the units.
Austin Corr, the son of Brian Corr, the owner, announced that the one-bedroom studio units will be priced between $750 and $775 per month, inclusive of all utilities and fiber internet. The company is seeking both six-month and twelve-month leases, but they will also consider three-month leases if they are mutually beneficial.
“We know these aren’t huge units … but their safe, their reliable.” Corr said. “It’s our main goal.”
Actions
Both the Map Amendment and the Planned Use Development permit were approved by Councilors with a 5-0 vote. The last step in the process is approving an ordinance that reflects the zoning change from CG to CS-PUD.
Report from the Dec. 2, 2024 City Council Meeting.
🗒️ View meeting Agenda
👀 Watch meeting on YouTube
Related
Developer plans to repurpose east side motel into apartments
The conversion would result in 32 leaseable units.
Chris Peters
Members Discussion
