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New apartment complex in north Dodge fills up quickly

More than 200 waiting list, keeps growing

By Eric Swanson

Dodge City Daily Globe

Posted Aug 17, 2011 @ 07:25 PM

Dodge City - In early July, people began applying for leases at the new Reserves at Cimarron Valley apartment complex in north Dodge City.

Construction on the 32-apartment complex north of Trinity Manor wrapped up recently, and the complex is ready for tenants. The apartments are already full, and more than 200 people have signed up for the waiting list.

"It keeps growing," said Pat Lickiss-Bruning, regional manager for Weigand Omega Management, which is managing the property on behalf of Overland Property Group. "It's unbelievable."

OPG partner Brett Johnson said he was pleased with the response to the project.

"There's nothing to be dissatisfied with regarding that property," he said. "I think it's one of the nicest sites we have, and obviously the community's supported it and embraced it. And we look forward to continuing that."

Section 42 housing

It's a strong start for the Cimarron Valley complex, aimed at boosting Dodge's supply of affordable housing. In 2010, Overland Property Group proposed building a Section 42 apartment complex, in which rent is tied to tenants' income but is not subsidized by the government. The Overland Park-based developer received federal tax credits through the Kansas Housing Corp. for the project.

Dodge City later designated the area north of Trinity Manor as a Rural Housing Incentive District, which cleared the way for OPG to

move forward with the project.

Construction on the complex finished about two weeks ago — except for landscaping and some other minor details — and people have already moved into the apartments.

Local officials say the complex will help the city meet the demand for more housing.

"This is definitely one step forward in a long process that we're going to have to meet the housing needs that we have in the community," said Joann Knight, executive director of the Dodge City/Ford County Development Corp. "So we're real excited about them getting that open and ready to go, and that the response has been very good for them."

Knight said Dodge City needs more homes of all types — including low-income rentals and homes for sale — so she was not surprised that people were seeking spots in the Cimarron Valley complex.

Expansion

The property north of Trinity Manor is zoned for residential high-density projects like the Cimarron Valley complex, with the exception of a narrow strip on the eastern edge that is zoned for single-family homes.

The Cimarron Valley complex began with 32 apartments, but it could expand to 80 if necessary. Overland Property Group partner Johnson said he could not guarantee that the company would decide to expand the complex — or that the state would approve expansion — but OPG officials would keep that possibility in mind.

"With a waiting list of 200, there's certainly demand there," he said. "And we'll be investigating this every year to see if it's worth continuing."

 

Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-991 or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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