Two redevelopment projects with a personal twist that are expected to add 21 apartments to the Crossroads Arts District along with commercial space were approved for tax abatement help Tuesday by a Kansas City development agency.

A $1.76 million plan to renovate adjoining two-story buildings at 1515-1517 Walnut St. will create seven apartments, including a penthouse built to be the home of its developer, architect Jay Tomlinson.

The second project, a $4 million venture at 2100 Central St., will accommodate the company offices of its developer, Gary Hassenflu, and 14 apartments.

Hassenflu got a 20-year property tax abatement from the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority to help convert the historic Meriden Creamery Co. building on Central Street.

The three-story building was completed in 1911 and is vacant. His plan calls for 2,100 square feet of commercial space and 14 market rate apartments, including a four-bedroom penthouse unit.

The first floor will house the offices of Hassenflu’s development firm, Garrison Cos., which has completed projects valued at $140 million in six states in recent years. Its biggest local development was the renovation of the massive Cold Storage building in the River Market into apartments.

“This project will be the identity of our company in the Crossroads,” Hassenflu said.

The project will include three one-bedroom apartments, 10 two-bedroom units and a four-bedroom unit on the top floor. The penthouse unit will have a separate rooftop deck, and there will be outdoor space for the other residents split between another rooftop area and patios for several units on a former loading dock.

Fourteen parking spaces will be in the basement. Monthly rents are expected to range from $995 to $1,200, and $3,400 for the four-bedroom unit.

The abatement approved by the expansion authority is 100 percent for the first 10 years and 50 percent for the remaining. It will save Hassenflu about $1 million in property taxes over 20 years.

Tomlinson, a principal at Helix Architecture & Design, told the agency board that he and his wife, Leslie, were planning to sell their longtime home in Brookside and embrace downtown living. The offices of Helix are one block away.

“We’re empty-nesters and we’re ready for our next adventure,” he said. “We believe in what’s happening downtown and we want to be a signal about where downtown is and that it’s getting better every day.”

The adjoining buildings on Walnut were built in 1946 and 1948 and originally were used as a construction testing lab. In later years a florist was there, but they have been vacant for seven years.

Tomlinson’s redevelopment plan calls for 11 parking spaces inside one building and renovating the front for commercial space.

The second floor would be redeveloped into six one-bedroom apartments, although one unit could be used for a two-bedroom apartment. The couple plan to add a 2,500-square-foot penthouse to the top of the building as their residence.

Tomlinson said solar panels on the roof would provide all the power needed for the buildings.

Monthly rents for the apartments are expected to range from $1,200 to $1,400. The 10-year, 100 percent abatement approved by the expansion authority will save the developer $141,000 in taxes.

Both projects are expected to be completed by the end of the year.