2909 N. Front St.
2917 N. Front St.
The zoning hearing board will consider tonight at 6 p.m. a plan to develop two of the so-called “Mary K” mansions, at 2909 and 2917 N. Front St., into a combined bed and breakfast establishment, following an application by new owners who acquired the properties at auction earlier this year.
The city’s planning commission, which reviews applications before sending them on to the zoning hearing board, recommended approval of the plan by unanimous vote at its Sept. 3 meeting.
At 2909 N. Front, owners Michael and Sally Jo Wilson plan to create six guest bedrooms, a first-floor common area and kitchen, and a dining room, library, rec room and sunroom, according to a summary of the planning commission meeting.
The 2917 N. Front St. property will initially serve as home and office space for the Wilsons, though it will later be refurbished to include additional guest bedrooms in a second phase of the project, the summary says. A bed and breakfast must be owner-occupied under the current zoning code.
The Wilsons do not plan to alter the exterior of either property, though they do plan to install a pedestrian walkway linking the 2909 property to a parking lot behind the property at 2917, the summary says. The 2909 property also includes a lounge area, courtyard and indoor swimming pool.
The zoning code also requires adequate off-street parking for guests. The parking lot behind 2917, with 20 spaces, is more than adequate to meet the requirement for the initial units as well as the units contemplated in the eventual expansion, according to a planning bureau report.
To garner support for the project, the Wilsons attended the June meeting of Riverside United Neighbors, a neighborhood association, the report notes. The association’s July newsletter includes a brief statement welcoming the Wilsons and wishing them good luck with their plans.
The previous owner, Mary Knackstedt, sold the properties at public auction last April as part of a Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan. Knackstedt, who bought the 2909 and 2917 properties in 2004 for $512,000 and $585,000, respectively, had planned to develop a luxury condo on the site but was blocked by neighbors. The Wilsons bought the two properties at April’s auction for a combined price of $361,000.
At the same auction, Knackstedt also sold two additional parcels, at 2901 and 2905 N. Front St., to Robert Edwards of Franklin Township for $395,000. The parcels comprise a parking lot, garage and a private residence that was home to Knackstedt and her interior design business, Knackstedt, Inc.
The property at 2917, which the planning bureau report says was built in 1920 in a neo-Georgian style, has rented office space to a variety of businesses over the years, most recently to a computer networking company. The 2909 property, a Tudor Revival building constructed in 1916, once housed a children’s services provider but has sat vacant for several years, according to the report.
