Ogallala City Council Recap - City clears way for historic preservation zoning to help create space for low income housing

Ogallala, Ne - The Ogallala City Council held their regular March meeting on Tuesday (March 25). The Council approved adding Jeffrey Lampmann to the Ogallala Tree Board. It's a two-year term.  

The Council had a discussion with the public on the speed limit heading west on highway 30 towards the sale barn. City Manager Kevin Wilkins said "we had a citizen address the speed limits on Highway 30 as it goes towards a sale barn. I think they made a credible case for the state of Nebraska to examine the speed zone changes as it migrates out towards the intersection of Highway 30 and the bypass." The speed limit increases to 50mph right before the sale barn. "We will ask the State to take a look at that" Wilkins said. 

Action items heard by the council included an amendment to the agreement for consulting services with the Airport Improvement Program Project. Wilkens said this was just housekeeping to approve a 3rd party FAA requirement for payment to an engineering firm who already had worked on the Searle Field master layout plan. The council approved the item. 

Also, the council talked about amending section 31.07 of the Municipal Coade Regulating Historic Preservation. "We amended a section of the municipal code related to the historic preservation commission a year ago," according to Wilkins. "I was trying to streamline the commission, so I took out some language the State preferred; in addition, we're adding some additional language that allows for historic overlays." He said, "so you have a historic structure that may be zoned residential or commercial. You could put an overlay over that zoning designation for historic purposes. What that does is set you up for some additional tax credits or funding." Wilkins said that right now the primary intent of this is a proposed project at the Ogallala Middle School for 44 units of mixed to low-income housing there. Wilkins says "this helps facilitate moving that project forward. It gives that project additional points for the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority application." It could potentially get that area a Historic tax credit. Wilkens went on to say, "we're anticipating doing a historic overlay on that particular block where the Middle school sits and then incorporating the auditorium into that." The Council passed the motion.  

The Council also approved the installation of two automated license plate readers in Ogallala. One permanent reader on the viaduct and a mobile license plate reader. The readers can scan a license plate and automatically relay plates that are in the system for BOLO or Amber Alerts to law enforcement officials in the city and county. This is a statewide system already in place in other cities around Nebraska including North Platte and Kearney. 

The Ogallala City Council will meet again April 8.