The Fort Scott City Commission approved a resolution to support an application by a Desoto, KS  property developer to turn the former Fort Scott Manor Nursing Home into apartments.

Following that approval, Shane Lamb, Rural ReDevelopment Group LLC, sent a Housing Investors Tax Credit application in for the property located on Fort Scott’s west side at 736 S. Heylman.

Lamb and Susan Galemore, who is with Southeast Kansas Economic Development Coalition, appeared together before the commission on Feb. 7. Galemore helped Lamb prepare the application.

Lamb has applied for tax credits from the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation to develop the property into 19 rental units.

“Fifteen will be one-bedroom units, four will be two-bedroom units,” Lamb said. “It is on less than two acres and the building is approximately 20,000 square feet.”

Lamb purchased the Fort Scott Manor property in January of 2022, he said. “It was closed down by the state several years ago, then went through bankruptcy proceedings. I believe it has been closed for three years.”

The Fort Scott property will not be low-income apartment rentals, Galemore said. “They will be standard market, not income based.”

“We focus on rural towns and rural housing,” he said.   “Typically, we purchase nursing homes, schools, hospitals…single-use vacant properties we convert to housing.”

“We have 13 projects completed across different states, the closest to Fort Scott is one in Yates Center,” Lamb said. “We have 18 projects in the works.”

The grants are very competitive, Lamb said. “If I don’t get it the first time, we can apply again. I think it is every three months.”

The grants awarded are based on the communities need, he said. “Which community needs housing more than others.”

“I am on their timeline,” he said. “Once I get the green light, I can start and have 18 months to finish.”

Lamb said he always tries to use qualified local contractors and buy materials locally.

“I always try to keep the money local,” he said. “It doesn’t work 100 percent of the time. Sometimes you can’t find local partners to meet those deadlines…because they are so busy.”

Lamb said he should know by the end of March 2023 if he was awarded the grant.