The Junction City Commission rejected a option to purchase agreement Tuesday night for the City owned property at 10th and Washington Street.

Garrison Hassenflu had proposed building a senior apartment complex on the land, but first needed to obtain a option to purchase agreement for an application to the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation to gain housing credits to fund the construction of the proposed complex.

A majority of the commissioners agreed that they liked the project idea, just not the location.

“That’s what really gets me,” said Commissioner Pat Landes. “I just think that it’s such a commercial area, everything’s going to have to be rezoned. If we have people living there do we need to have a street light there that we took down two years ago?”

The Commission ultimately denied the request on a 4-1 vote, Mayor Mike Ryan voted against the motion to deny.

Although the commission denied Hassenflu’s initial request they did not ruin their chances of the city gaining a Senior Apartment Complex.

Just before the end of the meeting Dave Yearout, Planning and Zoning Administrator reproached the commission and presented a proposed resolution for Hassenflu showing city support for a project very similar to the one he proposed at 10th and Washington Street, only this time on privately owned land next to the City’s former hospital on West Ash Street. Hassenflu needed City support of the project in order to submit the application for the housing credits with the KHRC.

The Ash Street location was a back up for Hassenflu and he has already been in contact with the Realtor selling the property. He has until Friday to submit the application to the KHRC, and will likely hear back on whether he received the credits or not by May.