City of Concordia Closes on Former Hospital Property

The City of Concordia has officially closed on the former Cloud County Health Center property.

The Concordia City Commission voted to transfer the property located at 1100 Highland Drive from the City of Concordia to the Concordia Land Bank during their regular meeting on Wednesday, August 16th.

North Central Kansas Medical Center, a new single-story, state-of-the-art health care facility located close to US Highway 81 along College Drive, officially began operations last fall.  The hospital changed its name from Cloud County Health Center to North Central Kansas Medical Center upon its transition to the new building.

Last summer, the Cloud County Health Center Board of Trustees voted unanimously to gift the old hospital land to the City of Concordia Land Bank for the purpose of developing moderate to high income housing.  The Concordia City Commission unanimously approved a Development Agreement with Cloud County Health Center for donation of the property in September 2022.

The former hospital building was demolished and the property razed to usable acreage earlier this year, and demolition of the former hospital was required before closing.  All structures have been removed.  The closing occurred on August 1, 2023.

The city and CloudCorp have offered a proposal for housing on this property that would include twelve new moderate income homes and four high income homes.  In order to mitigate risk to the general contractor, no more than two speculative homes may be constructed at a time.  Upon the sale of one home, construction of another home may begin.  Custom homes with a known buyer may be constructed at any time, but must meet the terms of financing methods if applicable.

According to the terms of the Development Agreement, the city will have eighteen months to commence construction and proceed with due diligence, or the hospital may reacquire the property at no cost.  The city bears responsibility for the costs of the housing project; the hospital has no financial obligation.

Last fall, the property was rezoned from a C-2 Restricted Commercial District to R-1 Low Density Residential District.  Concordia City Manager Amy Lange reports preliminary platting has concluded and will be brought before the Concordia Planning Commission on Tuesday, August 22nd.  

Construction of public infrastructure is expected to begin later this year, with new home construction to begin in the Spring 2024.

JR & Sons General Contracting, Inc. has been selected as the Builder for the Concordia Moderate Income Housing (MIH) project.

In other action items, a rezoning ordinance was approved changing 2420 Lincoln Street from a C-2 Restricted Commercial District to an I-1 Light Industrial District.  This request came as a result of Cloud County Community College's desire to place a billboard sign at that location without a primary use or related structure in place at that location.  The only zoning classification that allows for billboards is industrial zoning. 

Last summer, the Cloud County Community College Board of Trustees voted to accept two parcels of land near Walmart from the Cloud County Community College Foundation to be used for construction of the college's new Technical Education and Innovation Center and for new college highway signage.  One parcel of land will provide the college a larger space for construction of the center, and the second parcel for college highway signage.

Cloud County Community College broke ground on the new Technical Education and Innovation Center in May 2023.  The state-of-the-art center will house Renewable Energy, which includes Wind and Solar Energy and Drones; Nursing and Allied Health, which also offers high-demand career education for EMT, CNA, CMA, Home Health Aide, and IV Therapy; and Agriculture and Industrial Technology, including welding and CDL training.

The commission also approved zoning changes for 1101 Village Street and 1110 West 11th Street in Concordia.

Darren Hill, representing RJD Properties Kansas LLC, requested a zoning change for the former Mt. Joseph Senior Village property at 1110 West 11th Street from a C-2 Restricted Commercial District to an R-3 High Density Residential District, with plans to convert the vacant building into a multi-family dwelling.  This property has been vacant since Mt. Joseph Senior Village went out of business in late-2022.

Hill said the plan is to transform the space into approximately 66 units, made up of studio apartments, as well as one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.  Hill estimates renovation costs around $1.5 million.

Hill also requested a zoning change for 1101 Village Street from a C-2 Restricted Commercial District to a R-2 Medium Density Residential District.  This request is to get the existing duplexes in a legal conforming use situation after they were split away from Mt. Joseph Senior Village.

The commission also voted Wednesday to authorize Mayor Chuck Lambertz to sign a Development Agreement with Brandon Snavely and Jessica Tripp for the purpose of constructing a new single-family residential home at 429 and 435 E. 2nd Street in Concordia.

The city acquired the lots in 2018 by donation.  The property was temporarily held by the Concordia Land Bank with a goal of returning it to private ownership and redevelopment.

Brandon Snavely and Jessica Tripp purchased both of these lots for $400 to set a double-wide mobile home on the property to serve as their primary residence.  They currently reside at 720 State Street, which was approved for condemnation during the Commission's July 5th regular meeting.

Because the purchased property is located in the floodplain, there are additional requirements for development.  The property owner is responsible to obtain a floodplain development permit which will require the property to be developed according to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) regulations for floodplain development.  This requires a professional certification and elevation certificate.  The mobile home will need to be elevated such that the finish floor is located above the base flood elevation.  There are extra requirements to ensure the mobile home is properly anchored to ensure it stays in place during flooding and that flood waters can simultaneously pass beneath it freely. 

Moreover, the electrical, mechanical and fuel gas equipment must be located above the base flood elevation.  A building permit will be required to ensure the proposed site plan meets zoning requirements and subdivision regulations in addition to floodplain and building code requirements, including proper anchoring to a foundation and connection and location of utilities.

The Development Agreement states that Snavely and Tripp must start construction at the site by December 31, 2023, complete construction at the site by September 1, 2024, and complete the development in compliance with the city’s floodplain regulations.  The Development Agreement includes a reversionary clause in which ownership of the property reverts back to the Concordia Land Bank if Snavely and Tripp fail to meet the stated deadlines for the start or completion of the project.

The commission approved an extension request submitted by Everett Ford, granting him an extension until September 13, 2023 for the structures at 504 East 10th Street and 229 West 1st Street to be repaired or removed.

On July 5th, the commission adopted resolutions condemning the properties, both owned by Ford.  The resolution required repair or removal of the structures and the property made safe again, and that the process had to be started within 30 days.  Ford has had a difficult time finding licensed contractors for 229 West 1st, as well as getting bids for the demolition program for 504 East 10th.

During their discussion agenda, the commission talked about pursuing eminent domain on a property located at 429 West 8th Street in Concordia.

The City of Concordia has invested a significant amount of resources to clean up the property.  Specifically, $4,853.44 has been spent for mowing/yard cleanup over multiple occasions since 2015.  An additional $8,843.79 was spent in 2022 to demolish the dilapidated house on the property following condemnation.

Property taxes totaling $3,203.43 plus penalties have not been paid on this property since 2015.  This property is slated for tax sale, however a date has not yet been set by the County Attorney's Office.

Per the Cloud County Appraiser's Office, the current value of the property is $3,580.

This property has been identified by the city as a prime property for infill development.  Action is anticipated by the commission at their next regular meeting.

The commission also approved an ordinance excluding 15.56-acres of land located near and southwest of the intersection of 150th and Union Roads from the City of Concordia.  This property was annexed into the city on April 9, 2010 and is currently owned by Cody Odette.

The Concordia Planning Commission considered this request for de-annexation following a public hearing on July 25th and recommended approval of the request for de-annexation.

Also on Wednesday, the commission voted to authorize City Manager Amy Lange to sign the Grant Agreement associated with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program grant offer for Blosser Municipal Airport in the amount of $593,972.00.

In March 2023, the commission accepted a bid from Screed Tech LLC of Fairbury, Nebraska in the amount of $1,262,797.35 for the construction of a new 80' x 80' box hangar at Blosser Municipal Airport, with electrical connections to power the building, one 70' wide aviation door with concrete approach pavement, three pedestrian doors with connecting sidewalks, and storm sewer systems as required.

This new hangar will be of sufficient size to house B-II aircraft, which are now supported by the longer, wider Runway 18/36.  Multiple sources of funding, including multi-year federal grants are being used to fund construction of the hangar.  The FAA will pay 90 percent of eligible costs, with the city providing the 10 percent match.

While most of the design (geotechnical evaluations, topographic surveying, preliminary design, bidding, and partial construction administration) was paid for under a previous grant, this new FAA grant will need to cover final design costs and the remaining construction administration costs, resulting in a total project cost of $1,334,497.35, with an FAA 90 percent match of $1,201,047.00 and a 10 percent city match of $133,450.36.

Finally, the commission appointed Commissioner Amy Jackson and City Manager Lange as voting delegates during the 2023 League of Kansas Municipalities Annual Conference.  Mayor Lambertz and Commissioners Ragena Belden and Marsha Wentz were selected as alternates.