Proposed apartment complex clears first two regulatory hurdles

Forty new infill apartments could soon flank a former school in downtown Dubuque, pending city government approval. Each building would have two stories with 10 apartments on each floor, with the second floor accessed from a wooden porch that runs the front of each building facing the lot behind the Franklin School at 39 Bluff St. Franklin School is a historical brick structure with a native rock foundation from 1906 that was in use as a public school for more than 100 years, last housing Central Alternative High School until 2010. Since that time, it has been repurposed for apartments. The Franklin project cleared its first two hurdles, passing a Historic Preservation Commission review in June and a Zoning Advisory Commission recommendation on Wednesday. The City Council must still approve a zoning change later this month. The developer said he would later seek financial incentives that the city offers for new housing development.