A local company that’s partnered with Southeastern Community College to build three new dormitory complexes on SCC’s West Burlington Campus presented their plans to the West Burlington City Council on Wednesday in an attempt to gain Tax Increment Financing rebates for the project.
Campus Community Developers, a local company founded by three area investors specifically for the project, is looking to build three new buildings on the south side of the SCC Campus, right across from the Auditorium. Stephen Zager is one of the investors, and says that such housing will work in conjunction with SCC’s $15 million capital improvement project currently underway at both the West Burlington and Keokuk campuses in order to make the school more competitive.
“We’ve got to be able to attract students who want to have good, secure housing.” Zager said, “They want to have things to do, they want to have activities to be involved in in addition to good instructors and good classrooms.”
The average room layout in the building.
The double-occupancy apartments would only house students enrolled at the college. David Toyer, Economic Development Director for the Greater Burlington Partnership, says that the dorms would help alleviate some of the housing problems going on in Burlington/West Burlington area.
“Looking at it long term, having the students housed on campus in student housing is going to be better for the overall housing situation…housing is going to be a very significant issue [going forward],” said Toyer.
To pull it off, the company is asking the City of West Burlington for a 90% tax abatement for 10 years on the new construction, as well as a 90% purchasing abatement for Millennium Hall, which the group also intends to acquire. West Burlington Mayor Hans Trousil disagreed with those numbers, counter-proposing that the Millennium Hall purchase abatement should be closer to 50%, matching a request from a previous developer that the college has since decided not to work with.
Trousil’s counter-proposal, combined with concerns about a lack of a public safety plan from West Burlington Police Chief Frank Newberry, led to Zager and members of the college administrator to ask the council to table to measure, and meet next month to finalize the details.
Randy Winegard and Ron Massner are also involved in the project.
The location of the buildings in geographical context.
The council also hired two new volunteer firefighters during the meeting. Jim Fransicovish and Shane McCampbell will be joining the department–no, not Burlington Mayor Shane A. McCampbell, but his son, Shane Y. McCampbell.
