New construction permits in 2024 preceded major building and remodeling projects. The City of Great Bend issued approximately 46 permits for commercial projects valued at $50,000 or more, and another 24 for residential projects in that amount.
The biggest project by far was requested by MyTown LP for The Lofts at Zarah Apartments at 1917 Lakin Ave. The permit is for work with a projected cost of $3.24 million.
That isn’t the full scope of this $4.65 million endeavor to transform the iconic Zarah Hotel building into downtown apartments.
The finished product will feature 28 apartments with a blend of historic and contemporary interior finishes, an elevator to the second and third levels, indoor mail delivery, stainless steel appliances, and private laundry facilities in each apartment.
The project will create four studio units, 15 one-bedroom units, and nine two-bedroom units.
Mark Bitter with MyTown said they hope this project can be completed by the end of the year, as 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the building.
“We’re making good progress,” he said. The roof is on and a new elevator is being installed. Next month all of the windows will be changed out. The current windows were installed in the 1970s. The new ones will change the appearance of the building, he said. “It will take it back to its original look.”
Other construction permits
Cleveland GB Investors LLC had several permits for 514 Cleveland St., the Great Bend Campus of The University of Kansas Health System. These included a pharmacy remodel for more than $1 million, a rooftop air handler for $350,000, parking lot repaving for almost $160,000, and adding partition walls to make two open offices closed offices for privacy for $55,000.
Burger King, 3929 10th St., owned by a trust, received a permit for a $350,000 remodeling project that included adding a second drive-thru lane.
First Christian Church of Great Bend had a $300,000 project to add a 50 by 100-foot steel building on the north side of the existing church at 5230 Broadway Ave.
High Noon Properties Inc., owner of the former J.C. Penney Building at 1520 Kansas Ave., received a permit for a $150,000 office remodel.
Heart of Kansas Health Care Inc., 1910 18th St., received a permit to remodel office space as well, estimated as a $157,000 project.
The Landing
The Landing LLC landscaped the exterior of the property at the corner of Forest and Williams, 2103 Forest Ave. The permit anticipated that would be a $50,000 project. The Landing LLC also received a permit for 2015 Forest Ave. to remodel the building for business and rentable lofts upstairs, starting with a permit for a $500,000 project.
Mark Mingenback, a member of The Landing project, said things have been moving forward. “The façade is just about finished. We’ve also had a new roof installed because the old roof was blown off of the building during the storm in July 2023. We are currently building out the apartments.”
The investors had hoped to add a restaurant but have not found a tenant to rent it. “So our plan at this point is to build out the restaurant space into a room that can be used for events like class reunions, family reunions, corporate events and weddings, etc. We’re projecting that the space would be available for use this fall.”
Residential projects
As for residential projects, these ran the gamut from kitchen and bathroom remodeling to new garages and even new swimming pools.
A permit was issued for a new home build at 2224 Canterbury Lane, a $425,000 project. A $180,00 project at 5834 Anchor Way is listed as a new home/garage.
The 3-mile zone outside of the city limits was also subject to building permits. At 150 S. U.S. 281, a permit was issued for a new manufactured home, with an estimated project cost of $155,000, and at 185 S. U.S. 281, a permit was issued for a new house with an estimated cost of $260,000.
