Dozens of apartments planned inside La Crosse’s former Lincoln Middle School

More than a year after it was closed, La Crosse’s former Lincoln Middle School could soon house more than 50 apartments.

Rezoning for a renovation plan has been okayed by a city council committee, with the historic exterior of the building expected to stay the same.

The judiciary committee is endorsing a conversion of Lincoln into units of 1 to 3 bedrooms. A total of 99 bedrooms would be available, with a matching number of parking spaces on the school’s former playground.

The Commonwealth Development company from the Madison area says apartments at Lincoln would rent for between $420 and $1400 a month. A community service area also would be set aside in the building. Commonwealth plans to invest more than $20 million in the Lincoln renovation. The zoning request now goes to the full city council on September 12th.