An apartment complex built in the early 2000s to provide housing for Joliet Junior College students could be opened to the general market.

The Joliet Plan Commission on Thursday approved an amendment to the 2001 ordinance allowing construction of the apartments on the condition that they be rented only to students or others affiliated with JJC.

A City Council vote is required for final approval.

The request for a change in the original Planned Unit Development ordinance is the latest development in the failed attempt to create student housing at JJC.

The apartment complex, consisting of 128 units in six buildings, opened in 2002 as Centennial Commons under the ownership of the Joliet Junior College Foundation.

The complex was envisioned as an opportunity to create housing for JJC students.

The city approved the project under a planned unit development ordinance limiting residency to students or other tenants affiliated with JJC.

JJC-affiliated interest in the apartments, however, has not been sufficient to keep them filled.

According to a city staff report to the Plan Commission, some apartments are already occupied by tenants that are not affiliated with JJC.

In 2018, ownership of the debt-ridden apartment complex was transferred from the JJC Foundation to a bank-appointed receiver. At the time, three of the six buildings were not in use, and the complex was occupied at a rate of 40%.

Rock Run Residences LLC has owned the complex since 2019, according to the city staff report on the proposed change in residency requirement.

The owner contends that the apartment complex “is not viable if tenancy is limited to individuals affiliated with JJC due to demonstrated limited demand from JJC students, staff and faculty,” the staff report states. “However, the petitioner states that general market demand exists for these rental units.”

JJC did not provide anyone to comment on the prospect of the apartments being open to the general market.

Instead, a spokeswoman issued a statement saying in part, “Neither the college nor the foundation has any ownership interest in the apartments. We are aware that some JJC students choose to live at Rock Run due to its proximity to campus.”

City staff recommends changing the original PUD ordinance.

“Due to current market conditions, the development may not be financially viable if the current tenant eligibility requirements remain,” the staff report states.