The Garden City Commission on July 15 approved Resolution No. 3205 authorizing the city to issue taxable industrial revenue bonds in an approximate principal amount of $10,295,000 to support construction of a residential apartment building requested by Garden City Partners 1 LLC. The vote was taken during the commission’s regular meeting and the motion passed by voice vote.

The resolution, as described by staff, would allow the project to purchase eligible building materials without paying sales tax if the resolution is granted. “If the project is awarded, or if the resolution is granted, the project would be able to purchase eligible materials without having to pay sales tax,” a staff presenter said during the meeting.

Staff noted the item builds on earlier housing work. On Feb. 7, 2023 the commission adopted Resolution No. 3001-2023 to allow the city to submit an application for a Modern Income Housing (MIH) project on behalf of Hawkeye Development LLC for property generally located at 1801 Palace Drive; that project had been awarded $2,000,000 in MIH ARPA grant funds and $1,200,000 in Kansas Housing Investment Tax Credit funds, staff said. The project scope was amended June 17 to reflect a first phase of 48 units with the possibility of an additional phase in the future, staff told commissioners.

During the July 15 discussion staff presented two alternatives: approve the resolution as written or decline and provide alternative direction. Staff recommended approval and reported there is no fiscal note associated with the city’s approval of the resolution itself. Dennis Johnson, identified in the meeting as a partner with Garden City Partners 1 LLC, was available by phone to answer developer questions.

A commissioner moved to approve Resolution No. 3205; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The meeting record shows the motion carried; no roll-call tally was read into the public record.

The record does not specify further conditions attached to the resolution’s issuance or a timeline for bond sale or project permits. Further approvals (for example, building permits or tax-credit awards) were not described as completed during the meeting.