Zoning amendment clears path for townhome ownership

Historic downtown lofts project moves forward

Downtown eatery gets green light for outdoor patio

Outdated zoning fixed for new Ohio Street eye clinic

Eye clinic site plan approved with parking and landscape variances

Four-story hotel planned for South Ninth Street corridor

Zoning amendment clears path for townhome ownership

SALINA, Kan. — Commissioners unanimously approved a zoning text amendment that will allow developers to split duplex and townhome properties along common walls for separate ownership in R-2.5 and R-3 multi-family residential districts. The change aligns these districts with standards that have existed in the city's R-2 district since 1989, establishing a 24-foot minimum lot width for attached dwellings and allowing side yards to be reduced to zero at the shared wall. Staff noted the move aims to encourage infill development and diversify the city's housing stock by making it easier for builders to sell individual attached units.

Historic downtown lofts project moves forward

SALINA, Kan. — The final development plan for the Roosevelt-Lincoln Lofts project was unanimously approved, maintaining the footprint and floor areas established in a 2025 preliminary plan. The project will convert the historic former Roosevelt and Lincoln school buildings from age-restricted senior housing into 61 general-occupancy residential units, including low-income housing options. The commission's approval included a condition that two relocated ground signs — moved from the inner courtyard to the street frontages along Seventh and Eighth streets — must undergo a new review by the Downtown Design Review Board before a sign permit can be issued.

Downtown eatery gets green light for outdoor patio

SALINA, Kan. — A new downtown breakfast and lunch restaurant, The Easy Egg, received a conditional use permit for a 24-seat outdoor patio at 244 S. Santa Fe Ave. The formerly vacant building, which previously housed a restaurant, is undergoing substantial renovations as part of the city's downtown revitalization efforts. The commission voted 6-0 to approve the permit but added a stipulation that the permit is tied specifically to The Easy Egg business rather than running with the land, ensuring any future tenants with different business models would need to reapply for patio use.

Outdated zoning fixed for new Ohio Street eye clinic

SALINA, Kan. — An outdated 1980s Planned Development District ordinance restricting a property at the southeast corner of Ohio Street and Westchester Drive to financial institutions was amended to allow for a new eye clinic. The property, located at 2061 S. Ohio St. and previously home to a Great Plains Federal Credit Union branch, was rezoned to a Planned Commercial Restricted Business District. The restrictive zoning caught the buyers by surprise and delayed construction for two months. The commission unanimously recommended approval of the rezoning to the Salina City Commission, noting that the building has operated commercially for 40 years.

Eye clinic site plan approved with parking and landscape variances

SALINA, Kan. — In a companion vote to its rezoning, the planning commission approved the site development plan for a new eye clinic at the former credit union building on South Ohio Street. The commission approved variances to reduce the required off-street parking from 25 to 23 spaces and to waive a 15-foot eastern landscape buffer to preserve a necessary driving aisle. Applicant and Salina ophthalmologist Dr. Lee Weiner noted the clinic's design will improve patient safety by reversing traffic flow to allow for a covered drop-off area, protecting elderly patients from icy winter conditions.

Four-story hotel planned for South Ninth Street corridor

SALINA, Kan. — The commission unanimously recommended approval of an amended Planned Commercial zoning ordinance to clear the way for a four-story, 109-room Home2 Suites hotel at 3135 S. Ninth St. in the Auburndale District. The new ordinance increases the maximum building height on the lot from 40 feet to 60 feet, accommodating the mechanical requirements and architectural features of the Hilton brand, including a signature "beacon" tower. The 9.19-acre site sits just south of Lowe's and will serve as the anchor for a new commercial subdivision. Following the hotel site plan approval, the commission also voted 5-0 to approve the final plat for the Auburndale District Addition, which subdivides the large, undeveloped parcel into six distinct lots to support the hotel and future commercial development in the corridor.

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