BEATRICE – Beatrice elected officials have voted 6-0 in support of a proposed $10.5 million housing project in east Beatrice, hearing some opposition over what the homes may look like compared with the neighborhood.


R-W-R LLC is seeking tax increment financing for the project north of Scott Street in the area of 26th Street. It would include six seven-plex buildings, and one six-plex…..a total of 48 housing units. It meets the R-4 zoning of the area.


Jane Nider, who resides along South 25th…feels the project doesn’t fit in with nearby residential areas at Flowing Springs…. wasn’t the original intent for the property….and isn’t large enough for the number of residents and vehicles it would bring.


"When this area was rezoned to R-4 four years ago, the public, after having signs up that there was going to be a zoning meeting...the public was told and the zoning and planning committee thought they were acting on a proposed plan that was described as high-end duplexes, compatible with Flowing Springs...with a cul-de-sac. And, that's what people thought was going to happen there, up until about two weeks ago."


Councilman Gary Barnard is wary of forcing the developer to make changes….such as buffer zones, or additional setbacks…..just to satisfy concerns of area residents.  "We can ask them to do that, but I wouldn't want to have a developere who's going to develop a ten-million dollar property to say....goodbye. They're hard to come by, to get anybody to develop in Beatrice. I understand what the neighbors think, but as in any other development, like Flowing Springs where I'm going to be moving...people took him at his word and he made it nice. It makes it hard for me to ask them to do that. We didn't ask anybody else to go above and beyond."

Covered Bridge Heights Entrance
Covered Bridge Heights Entrance  

There was concern expressed by resident Larry Hibbert about overflow parking onto Scott Street. There was also concern about whether the plan might be changed to a multi-level, higher elevation apartment complex. City Administrator Tobias Tempelmeyer says such a change could affect the level of tax increment financing.


"The amount of TIF that they get, is based upon what the county assessor that's looked at this project and come back with a valuation, on. If they change it, that number will change the amount of TIF they can get. If they decide to downgrade the quality or the project, they'll get less TIF money which negatively affects them. But, there's nothing in the agreement that says they have to build two blue houses and two gray ones...and it has to be two bedrooms. There's nothing in the agreement that has those types of details in there."


City Councilman Rich Kerr said with a stagnant population for several years in the city….a long-standing need identified….is for more housing.
"Every survey we've ever had...always had one thing that was a tick to us......not enough housing."


Granting tax increment financing is a multi-step process of meetings between the Community Redevelopment Authority, the Beatrice Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Beatrice City Council. Final approval by the council sends it back to the CRA for approval of the final development plan.