Paul Younes of Kearney, owner of Younes Hospitality, addresses Grand Island City Council Nov. 18 about an apartment complex that would be developed at 611 Carey Avenue to provide housing for employees working at Younes holdings in Grand Island. (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – The Grand Island City Council voted 10-0 Nov. 18 to approve a development plan for construction of apartments at 611 Carey Avenue.
According to a memo to the City Council from Community Redevelopment Authority Director Chad Nabity, the development will consist of one building with six two-bedroom units and 18 one-bedroom units. The Younes family of Kearney is building the apartments to provide housing for employees working at Younes holdings in Grand Island.
The development plan includes $925,000 in Tax Increment Financing over a 15-year period.
Younes Hospitality owns 14 hotels in Grand Island, Hastings, and Kearney, according to the company’s website. Paul Younes of Kearney is owner and founder of Younes Hospitality. According to the company website, the company owns Fairfield Inn and Candlewood Suites in Grand Island.
The proposed development would begin in late 2025 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The project is expected to cost more than $5 million, according to Nabity’s memo.
Younes addressed the City Council at the Nov. 18 meeting. City Council Member Chuck Haase said he appreciated that the proposal did not ask for the “full” TIF amount available.
The City Council also voted 10-0 to approve an amendment to the city’s future land-use map for approximately 13 acres of land located west of North Road and south of Enterprise Avenue. The zoning would change from C/I: Commercial/Industrial to LMDR: Low-Medium Density Residential. The developer is Prataria Ventures.
The proposed site was annexed in 1984 and has been vacant ever since, according to a memo to the City Council from Chad Nabity. A preliminary plan has been submitted that the land will be developed into 36 single-family lots ranging in size from 10,000 square feet to 17,000 square feet. Nabity said that sidewalks would be placed at the site along North Road and in cul-de-sacs in the development.
An item in the consent agenda that was approved by a unanimous vote was relocation/reimbursement agreement for the City of Grand Island for AT&T Fiber Line located at Veterans Park in the Good Life District.
According to a memo to the City Council from Chad Nabity, AT&T maintains a fiber optic line across the Veteran’s Legacy property just south of Eagle Scout Lake. The line will impede development of the Good Life District and expansion of the lake as planned.
“It is necessary to move this line to the north side of the property south of Highway 281/Airport Road,” Nabity wrote.
AT&T has proposed moving the line at an estimated cost of $433,000. This would be done in three payments. All funds would be paid out of Good Life District funds, Nabity wrote.
An agenda item regarding approving an update of the Jackrabbit Run Golf Course fee schedule was removed from the agenda and will be considered at a future meeting.
