MARSHALL — A proposal to build apartments on nine acres of vacant land in Marshall will go before the city council — and the public — in a couple of weeks. On Tuesday, council members set a public hearing on the plat for the proposed development, as well as taking action on some of the preparatory work that would help the project move forward.

At the council’s meeting, council member Steven Meister addressed Marshall residents directly, asking people to attend the hearing.

“It’s kind of important to have public input at a public hearing,” Meister said. If residents had any concerns about the proposal, he asked that they attend the hearing May 22 and talk to the council.

The development being proposed would build multi-family housing units, including some income-based units, on land along Legion Field Road. The property is currently owned by the city of Marshall’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority. In March, Economic Development Authority directors said they were working with a developer, Unique Opportunities Marshall LLC, to potentially buy the land and build apartments. They also planned to request that the city use up to $2.07 million in Tax Increment Financing to reimburse some of the building costs.

Council members voted 5-1 to hold a public hearing on a plat for the proposed development. Council member Glenn Bayerkohler cast the vote against, and council member James Lozinski abstained. Lozinski said he planned to abstain from votes related to the development proposal to avoid conflicts of interest.

The development proposal was also the subject of a couple other council actions Tuesday night. In one item pulled from the meeting’s consent agenda, council members voted to introduce a Planned Unit Development agreement for the plat. The agreement would help accommodate building three apartment buildings on property that is currently being used for agriculture. City staff said a preliminary version of the agreement is being reviewed by the Marshall zoning department.

Marshall City Attorney Dennis Simpson had asked that action on the PUD agreement be removed from the consent agenda to allow Lozinski to abstain from voting on it.

Council members voted 5-1, with Lozinski abstaining, to introduce the agreement. The council will take action on it May 22.

Bayerkohler cast the vote against introducing the PUD agreement.

The council also voted to approve one other piece of the prep work for the development, an amendment to the Marshall city comprehensive plan. The amendment would allow the construction of apartments in an area that’s currently zoned for single-family residences.

The amendment would “reflect the intent of the city” to allow multi-family housing on part of that land, said Assistant City Engineer Jason Anderson.

“It’s not an actual rezone,” Anderson said, but it would prepare for the development.

Having multi-family housing across Legion Field Road from existing single-family homes would also serve as a buffer between the residential neighborhood and nearby industrial lots, Anderson said.

The council voted to approve the comprehensive plan amendment, with Lozinski abstaining.