NCRPC administered a CDBG Commercial Rehabilitation project that helped restore a former depot located at 356 N. Santa Fe in Salina.
A historic Missouri Pacific Depot in downtown Salina has been restored. The unique limestone building, which had been vacant for several years, now functions as professional office space.
The former depot was originally constructed in 1887 and had not had a significant upgrade in over 50 years. Salina Office Station, LLC purchased the building in 2017 with the intent of updating it for office space.
The restoration was the result of many partners working together. The City of Salina received a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Kansas Department of Commerce for the Downtown Commercial Rehabilitation Project. The building’s owners, Salina Office Station, LLC, provided more than $110,000 in matching funds to make needed repairs to the building. NCRPC staff provided project planning assistance and administration.
“This project was able to bring an empty historic building in the downtown area back to life,” NCRPC Community Development Specialist Nichole McDaniel said. “It is an example of a successful project with multiple partners.”
The purpose of the CDBG Commercial Rehabilitation Program is to help cities improve the quality of their downtown commercial districts by assisting private property owners in the rehabilitation of blighted buildings.
“As owners of the former Salina MOPAC freight depot, we were fortunate to qualify for participation in the CDBG Commercial Rehabilitation program as administered by the NCRPC,” Ken Bieberly, one of three owners of Salina Office Station, LLC, said. “The grant provided funds for the remodeling that made the project economically feasible and historically correct.”
The project included upgrading and preserving the historic exterior and meeting ADA interior compliance requirements. The newly renovated former depot, now named Salina Office Station, includes four professional office rental spaces.
Other key partners involved with the project include general contractor Ry-Co Inc. and project architect Warren Ediger.
There is an open window for communities to submit applications for the CDBG Downtown Commercial Rehabilitation program each year. For more information, visit www.kansascommerce.gov/cdbg or contact the NCRPC office to visit with a staff member about your project needs.
There are many great things happening in North Central Kansas. The Project Spotlight series features projects around the region to share ways communities have solved challenges. To view more Project Spotlights, visit https://www.ncrpc.org/tag/project-spotlight/.
This article appeared in the January 2020 NCRPC Newsletter.
