The Baldwin City Council tabled Tuesday consideration of a conditional use permit needed to build a new public works headquarters at the city’s Orange Street yard.

It is proposed the facility be built on the empty northeast section of the yard in the 1000 block of Church Street, which is now home to the city’s electrical facility and wastewater plant. Last month, the council authorized the sale of $2.9 million in temporary notes to finance construction of the facility. Lawrence architect Jay Zimmerschied also has completed plans for the building, which he shared at the meeting with the council.

Despite those actions, the city can’t move forward with the facility’s construction unless the City Council approves a conditional use permit allowing for the proposed uses at the site.

Approval was complicated when four neighbors filed a protest petition against the permit. The petition was filed with the city after the Baldwin City Planning Commission unanimously recommended the City Council approve the conditional use permit.

Council members Steve Bauer, Christi Darnell, Kathy Gerstner and David Simmons agreed they were not ready to make a decision on the permit without hearing from the neighbors who filed the petition, only one of whom attended the meeting.

Although no action was taken, two city employees made a case for the need for the new public works facility and the property’s use for that purpose. City Public Works Director Bill Winegar, who is retiring next week, said the city doesn’t have room at its current downtown yard. Consequently, operations are spread out to three locations, with the Orange Street yard already used for storage. With no room inside at any location, public works employees change vehicle oil and perform other routine maintenance outside, he said.

Baldwin City Planning Director Ed Courton said the city has planned to build a public works facility at the yard since the property was purchased more than two decades ago. The planned facility would be a compatible use with the city’s electrical and wastewater treatment facilities already on the yard, he said.

Courton further argued the planned building’s design took residential neighbors into consideration. It would have an attractive facade facing Orange Street, and there would be landscaping screening the facility from neighbors, he said. He also noted the building was 300 feet from the nearest residence.

The only neighbor to speak was Amy Conley, who said her concerns were lighting, added activity and the plan to build a second access road to the front of the building.

The council agreed to consider the conditional use permit at its March 21 meeting.

In other business, the council approved a neighborhood revitalization plan that will make available citywide property tax rebates on new construction and improvements to existing properties. The measure received four votes for approval, with Bauer abstaining.

The vote came after the council amended the measure on the floor to limit rebates to five years. Council members said the proposal that planning commissioners approved, which would allow sliding scale rebates in years six through 10, could place financial constraints on future councils.

The proposal that is to sunset in five years would:

• Rebate 100 percent of the property tax value of new residential, industrial and commercial construction for five years.

• Provide five-year 100 percent rebates on increases in property value from improvements to existing homes, businesses or industrial buildings that add more than 10 percent to a property’s appraised value.

• Provide 10-year 95 percent rebates for projects with affordable housing or historic building designations.