The Hillside Lofts apartment complex in Harrisburg may be expanding.
During the Augusta Planning Commission’s meeting Monday afternoon, Commissioner Locke McKnight recused himself so that the other commissioners would consider his application to rezone 2083 Heckle St. and an adjacent property, 728 Heard Ave.
McKnight, president of Stables Management Development, plans to build a 30-unit apartment building at the location of the three-acre parcel, which comprises the western half of the block bordered by Heard Avenue, Heckle, Metcalf and Warren Streets.
In 2020, McKnight developed the first phase of Hillside Lofts at the Heckle address, converting two warehouse buildings formerly used by the Board of Education into multi-family complex with some 47 units, complete with amenities such as clubhouse, pool, fitness center and parking gate.
In 2018, the Augusta Commission approved rezoning the location from R-1C One-family Residential to R-3B Multi-family Residential to accommodate the initial Hillside Lofts development.
McKnight is ultimately seeking to rezone both the Heckle Street and Heard Avenue properties to R-3C Multi-family Residential, planning to combine the parcels to meet setback requirements and allow for 48 new parking spaces.
“It’s become a lively neighborhood. It’s been fun to watch,” said McKnight to the planning commissioners, noting that he and his team have been observing the apartments’ progress, leading to deliberations on adding another building, for about a year and a half, calling the development a kind of experiment. “We don’t want to go to high density or a large area. We want to stay small.”
The proposed project was not without some opposition. Dale Wallace, a Warren Street resident, said that while he was not against the construction of new apartments, or the current complex, he did have concerns about maintenance during and after construction. He cited issues with the first phase of the Hillside Lofts development, such as equipment and piles of asphalt being left at the site for months at a time, as well as some flooding.
MORE: Commission approves mayor’s budget request
“The property right down from [McKnight] said was a downhill slope, was basically flooded out because he did not properly grade and take care of his drainage,” Wallace said. “I don’t want to see that happen again, because if he’s going to put more parking spaces there, there’s going to be more runoff.”
Another neighboring Warren Street resident, Brian Bronander, echoed the sentiment, expressing approval of the project but unease about the site’s upkeep as well as traffic.
“I understand bringing it all in, and it doesn’t make sense to have his properties divided up this way, but I want to see it maintained,” said Bronander. “I also want to be sure that the parking situation doesn’t create a funnel on Warren Street.”
McKnight told the commissioners that his team would take care to address drainage and other issues, and adhere to the city’s approval process during construction of the second phase.
“I’m not going to say that we were perfect on the backside of there… there were some key drainage issues which I think we have addressed,” McKnight said. “We do want to make it a better neighborhood, and we hope that we have.”
The plans submitted to the planning department are for a three-story building, but staff recommended approval with the condition that the structure be limited to two stories, so as to blend in and not overshadow the surrounding buildings in the area.
McKnight underscored that most of the lofts’ current tenants are university and medical students who preferred the two-bedroom units, and that the building would slope concurrent with the street, its base situated under the street. Jay Grant, a subcontractor on the project, also emphasized to the commissioners that the developers would prefer three stories.
Ultimately, however, the Planning Commission voted in concert with staff recommendations, recommending approval for a two-story building with 30 units. All the commissioners voted in favor, save for Vice Chair Jeffery Pooser, who voted against, and Commissioner Douglas Prince, who abstained.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
