After returning to the drawing board with design plans for the Nicky Hayden Apartment building, Wabuck Development Company received the green light from the Historic Preservation Board to proceed with the construction of the transitional housing complex for the Daniel Pitino Shelter.
In their April 10 meeting, the board cited six items in the Wabuck’s design for the apartments that didn’t meet standards outlined in Article 21 of the Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission downtown zoning ordinance. The violations ranged from minimum ground elevation, windows covering 30 percent of the facade and windows fronting all streets.
Anthony Elmore of Wabuck Development addressed the board, explaining that the project’s funding limits the design of the project. While Earl Hayden cleared the land across the street from the Pitino Shelter and donated it in honor of his late son, the apartment construction is funded by the Kentucky Housing Corporation and an Affordable Housing Program grant by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati. Elmore said this means that the budget is tight. To be exact, the 12-unit apartment complex is expected to cost $1,569,840, according to Elmore.
“There is a finite amount of resources that were available for this,” Elmore told the board in April. “This a labor of love, definitely not a big project or typically what we do, but it’s for a good cause. This building needs to be built and will provide a lot of value to that area.”
Elmore said now that Wabuck’s architect made all necessary design changes, which were approved by the Historic Preservation Board at their May 1 meeting, he will move forward with all submittals to funding agencies. He anticipates breaking ground on the Nicky Hayden Apartments in July.
