Seeking to offer more affordable housing for seniors, a Cody developer is proposing a new 48-unit apartment complex near the city’s middle school. Though nothing has been decided, the concept drew an initial thumbs up from planning officials last week.

As Cody’s population has grown, as housing prices have shot upwards and as more landlords have turned their properties into short term rentals, developer Ed Higbie says it’s become increasingly difficult for residents to find rentals at reasonable rates.

“There is a dire need to take care of our elderly,” Higbie wrote in a recent letter to Cody officials.

As envisioned by Higbie, the new senior independent living complex would proceed in phases — perhaps stretching out over four years — and ultimately include four, three-story buildings. Each building would contain 12 apartments, with the primary resident needing to be at least 65 years old.

The property is just southeast of the Cody Middle School off Cougar Avenue. It’s bordered by several single-family residences to the west and vacant residential land to the east.

The endeavor is not meant to be a money-maker: Higbie said his family will donate the 3.1-acre parcel for the project and operate the complex through a nonprofit organization — much like the Mountain View Manor in downtown Cody and the Rocky Mountain Manor in Powell. He and his wife Carol recently formed Higbie’s Senior Independent Living for that purpose.

Getting the “ambitious” project off the ground will require raising funds, Higbie said, estimating the total cost to be in the $12 million to $15 million range. But a more immediate challenge is the property’s R-2 (medium-low density) zoning, which only allows for single-family homes and duplexes and limits buildings to two stories.

To make the proposal a reality, Higbie is asking the city to approve it as a “planned unit development,” which allows for more flexibility.

Speaking to Cody Planning and Zoning Board last week, Higbie suggested the question for the board is, “are we going to go forward to help our seniors, or are we going to stick our head in the sand and think we’re not gonna get old?”

Although the discussion was only preliminary and numerous details still need to be sorted out, board members indicated they liked the concept.

Member Matt Moss called it “a great project” and Kathryn Kyle called it “much-needed.”

“I think this is something that we’ve needed for a while,” member Dan Schein added to Higbie, “and I appreciate you presenting it to us.”

The discussion at the March 12 meeting was a part of the planned unit development process, which gives developers an opportunity to meet with city staff and the board to resolve any major problems before submitting a formal application and providing formal notice to the public.

Both staff and the board indicated they don’t see any deal breakers.

“We think this is a possibility. We think it could work,” City Planner Todd Stowell said of the staff’s opinion.

Part of the process involves ensuring the development is compatible with the surrounding area. Stowell said Higbie’s plan is “considerate” of the existing homes to the west; for instance, the developer intends to have more than 100 feet of landscaping (including trees) between the western property line and the units, while the roughly 76-space parking lot would be located on the opposite, eastern side.

Under the proposed concept, the existing alley that runs along the eastern property line would be converted into a pathway, which would involve converting the neighboring houses on Mallard Street to roll-off bins.

Traffic was one of the potential issues raised at the meeting. Stowell described morning traffic near the middle school as “a nightmare” and board member Sarah Miles described it as “a disaster area” during school day drop-offs, pick-ups and sporting events.

However, Stowell said senior apartments should have less impact on traffic than other developments, in part because they tend to have fewer vehicles per housing unit.

The city also is planning to pave Cougar Avenue between Freedom and Stone streets this summer, which could help. Stowell said the work will include bringing sidewalk, curb and gutter up to Higbie’s property. The developer would still be responsible for the improvements along his parcel.

That’s among several potential conditions staff suggested Higbie may need to meet. He expressed some concern about getting “nickel and dimed” with requirements — such as potentially having to also add curb and gutter on neighboring Mallard Street.

“It doesn’t seem like much,” Higbie said of the proposed conditions, “but when you’re trying to do it for free, giving it away, then you add $5,000 here, $10,000 there, and all of a sudden it’s a lot of money.” 

Overall, however, he said the city “has been very cooperative trying to do this.”

Having cleared the informal review process, Higbie’s next step is to submit more fully developed plans, which will then be heard at a public meeting, with formal notice provided to neighboring property owners. Although it wasn’t required, Higbie has already done some outreach and three neighboring property owners have penned letters of support for the project.

The owner of a neighboring Mallard Street home, Clifton Carson, wrote that he’s “excited that someone is thinking about the seniors in our community.” Carson recalled how his mother had a tough time finding a place to live in Cody and wound up moving to Powell instead.

Higbie indicated it will be a couple months before he returns to the planning board.