A 50-unit apartment and condominium complex is proposed for an area at the corner of May Street and Barron Road.
The units would be higher end and available for purchase as well as rental, according to information presented Monday to the city council.
Kevin and Glenda Montgomery of Poplar Bluff have asked to have the property rezoned from RS-2 general residential to RA-1 general apartment/residential. The couple is a potential buyer of the 1.51 acres, which is owned by the estate of Sandy Donley.
The property has previously come to council for rezoning and been turned down, following opposition from neighbors, city manager Matt Winters shared.
“This property has come up before... At that time it was an office, more commercial. That was a big concern of the neighborhood, commercial encroaching on that neighborhood,” said Winters. “This is a residential development as opposed to the commercial development there was opposition to last time.”
There will be an opportunity for private ownership, with units available for sale, said Kevin Montgomery.
Montgomery is planning to rent units for $1,000 per month. They would include 960 square feet of living space, two bedrooms and two bathrooms, he explained.
“I really think what I’m planning is going to be very nice,” he said. “It’s not going to create a problem for anybody, I hope.”
Montgomery plans to build the units eight at a time, and have those filled before proceeding with additional construction.
The item will be on the April 17 voting session.
In other business, police chief Mike McClain spoke to the council about the upcoming National Public Safety Telecommunicators week, which is the second week of April.
“This week is a time to celebrate and thank telecommunications personnel across the nation who have served our community’s citizens and public safety personnel 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said.
McClain shared that Poplar Bluff telecommunications staff received more than 44,000 incoming calls in 2022, placed over 18,000 outgoing calls and answered approximately 13,300 calls to 911.
“These numbers, in my opinion, are staggering,” said McClain, who was joined at the council meeting by several members of the police and fire departments who wanted to show their support for the city’s telecommunications personnel.
The council also:
• Discussed budget adjustments recoding existing expenses for the fire department’s capital budget, including $14,000 for rolling equipment maintenance and moving a $1.1 million fire truck expense from the category of motor vehicles to rolling stock. Winters said no additional money is being spent — the items are just being re-coded due to an error in the original budget.
• Approved a union agreement for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 702, which serves police dispatchers. It increases the starting pay for dispatchers to $17.52 per hour and $19.44 per hour after one year.
• Accepted the sole bid of $100 for a vacant lot in the 900 block of Butler Street from adjoining property owner Bernadine Brand.
• Approved an interconnection agreement with the Southwestern Power Administration.
In his city manager’s report, Winters commended city staff for their work to coordinate and prepare for the recent potential for severe weather.
“It’s not just within our city government, but the partnerships we have... whether it be Three Rivers College, the school district or the county,” he added. “It’s impressive to see them all come together in preparation for potential events.”
Street paving grant projects are moving along, he said. Approximately 400 tons of asphalt was laid Monday as part of the projects, and the same was expected for Tuesday.
Winters also shared the Black River Coliseum had a busy weekend, with approximately 900 competitors attending a two-day gymnastics event that brought a lot of out-of-town visitors to Poplar Bluff.