Plan Commission Recommends Street Vacation for Police Station Project; Approves Site Plan for Koerner Project

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Published on March 14 2017 7:30 pm
Last Updated on March 14 2017 7:30 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

The Effingham City Plan Commission Tuesday recommended City Council approval of the vacation of a portion of Section Avenue for the new police station construction project.

The block of Section between 3rd and 2nd Streets is to be vacated to accommodate additional parking on the south side of the new building. City officials said the new building will lessen the number of parking spaces on the current site. That led to the City acquiring the parcel of land east across the street, which has been cleared for additional parking. The City will provide access into the properties to the south of the vacated portion of Section.

The Commission also recommended vacating an undeveloped alley that runs east and west between City Hall and the current police station, although easements will be retained for the utilities that run under the area.

Commissioners also okayed the site plan for the new police station, which will be built after the current police station building is razed. It'll be a 26,457 square foot facility including a basement and two above ground floors. A courtyard including a four-foot wall will be built between the two buildings and stairways will be built into each building.

The Plan Commission also approved a site plan for Koerner Distributor's new home. The new facility will measure 183,250 square feet and will be located on the southwest corner of Raney Street and Pike Avenue. 18,000 square feet of the development will house office space for the business, with the balance used for warehouse space. The office area will be nearest the intersection of Raney and Pike.

Commissioners also approved a site plan for Prairie Oak Apartments. Three apartment buildings are to be built to compliment an existing building with the four buildings to be located at 400, 402, 404 and 406 Oak Street, providing 24 units. The Effingham County Health Department building is immediately east of the development, which is located off St. Louis Avenue. Scott Conant, managing partner of the group developing the apartments said the first building will go up this year, saying they already have four renters waiting on the building.