Apartment Complex Planning Started in 1969
Housing development, affordability, and availability have been a focus of our community for as long as anyone can remember, and it continues to be a critical part of community growth. In the late 1960s, with the industrial growth of McPherson, the topic of additional housing and rental property was discussed extensively.
Documents sent to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development Federal Housing Administration in 1969, stated. “The Chamber is aware of the importance of adequate housing to not only the physical environment of its occupants but also of the more intangible effects such housing may have on the mental, social and cultural wellbeing of the occupants. Further, the Chamber is especially cognizant that a community must provide good, safe, and sanitary shelter for all its members if the community as a whole is to grow and prosper.”
A special meeting was held July 24, 1969, where the McPherson Chamber of Commerce board of directors voted unanimously to act as the sponsor for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) #236 Program. This was the beginning of the 100-unit Lakeside Plaza Apartment Complex. The Chamber still oversees the apartment complex to ensure that it continues to operate as income-based housing. Lakeside Plaza is a well maintained property that anyone would want to call home. (Picture was taken from a publication of the McPherson Sentinel, dated January 15, 1971.)
Here are a few more significant dates related to the history of Lakeside Plaza.
• April 21, 1970-The Articles of Incorporation of Lakeside Plaza, Inc were filed.
• May 23, 1970-A Groundbreaking Ceremony was held.
• December 24, 1970- The project was 98% complete.
• January 16, 1971-An Open House was conducted, and within a few weeks 20 of the 48 completed apartments had already been rented.
• By April 7, 1971, the final FHA inspection was completed, allowing for full capacity of all 100 units.
If you have heard people refer to Lakeside Plaza as Kershner Apartments, you likely assumed that it correlated to the street where the apartments are located, Kerschner Drive. Interesting fact, Don Kerschner was the president of the McPherson Chamber in 1969!