MARSHALL — A proposed 39-unit apartment building in downtown Marshall got the city permit it needs for construction to start this spring.

Last week, members of the Marshall City Council approved a conditional use permit for construction of the apartments on land at the corner of First Street and Lyon Street. The apartment building is one of three total buildings proposed for land on “Block 11” downtown.

Block 11 is the same downtown block where the Varsity Pub and Extra Innings is located. Right now, most of the block aside from the Pub is vacant lots owned by the city. For years, the city has been looking for potential developers to fill in the empty space.

Earlier this month, the council heard a proposal from developer CBC Fischer Group to build three three-story buildings with a mix of apartments and commercial space. The first building would have 33 one-bedroom apartments and six two-bedroom apartments. Two more buildings, at the corner of First Street and Main Street and at the corner of Main Street and College Drive, would each have 22 apartments on the upper floors and 4,420 square feet of commercial space at street level.

The conditional use permit approved Tuesday covers only the first phase of the proposed development, the apartment building at the corner of First Street and Lyon Street. One of the conditions of the permit was that each apartment unit have one off-street parking space on Block 11.

City staff said the other two construction phases planned for the block would require their own conditional use permits.

As part of its consent agenda on Tuesday, the council also called for a public hearing on the establishment of a redevelopment TIF district for Block 11. The proposed TIF district would help the developers pay for costs like land improvements and parking. A redevelopment TIF district cannot be used to pay for the construction of buildings.