City rezones land along freeway for residential use

One of Port Washington’s last remaining parcels of land with visibility and frontage along I-43 was rezoned for housing by the Common Council last week.

The change from commercial use to multifamily housing flies in the face of a December Plan Commission recommendation not to change the zoning.

Only Ald. Deb Postl voted against the change, saying the 1.3-acre property on the city’s north side isn’t suited for housing.

“I don’t know why we’d want to do that. When you look at that parcel ... it’s an undesirable location for housing,” she said, noting freeway noise and traffic will make any housing built there “undesirable housing. “

“I lived by I-94. It was a horrible place to live,” she said.

But Tom Didier, a local real estate agent whose family has owned the land since 2006, said they have tried to market it for commercial uses but have been unsuccessful.

Among the businesses the family has talked to are Sonic and Chick-fil-A, he said.

“They look at numbers, at population,” Didier said, adding Port is hampered in that regard by the fact the lake is to the east, not housing.

“We have enough restaurants right now.”

Plan Commission members, who reviewed the proposal in December, said the land is ideal for commercial uses.

“This being really the last spot Port Washington has with any level of interstate frontage, it seems to be a misuse,” commission member Kyle Knop said. “It would be really nice to have some kind of amenity that goes along with” the Port Wisconsin Inn and Suites hotel just to the north.

“I feel like that opportunity gets completely lost” if multifamily zoning is approved,” he added. “I think we have a really great opportunity and changing it (zoning) is a slight misstep.”

The family originally planned to build business condominiums there, Didier said, but “the pandemic changed commercial real estate forever. Office space, there’s no longer a need for it. There’s a big need for housing right now.”

The land is between the park and ride lot and Holiday Inn Express on Highway LL, and Didier said its proximity to the freeway, the bike trail and other amenities, as well as the fact that there are multifamily buildings nearby, makes it a good location for housing.

“I think being in that location would be pretty desirable,” he said. “There is a large demand for this type of housing across southeastern Wisconsin now. I have a very high level of confidence if this were zoned for multifamily, there would be a number” of interested buyers.

Mayor Ted Neitzke agreed, saying employers in the area are always looking for workers and numerous groups in the area have been asking for more housing options, particularly rentals for entry-level workers and young professionals.

“When facts change, you have to change,” he added.

Didier said he envisions the property being ideal for either workforce or senior housing, not high-end housing.

“I think the developer will figure that out,” he said, noting the family plans to market the land.

The city has plenty of other places ideal for commercial development, Didier added, including a parcel next to the nearby NorthPort Shopping Center and lots elsewhere in the city.

Some aldermen questioned why the zoning was for RM-4 zoning, not the RM-3 zoning that applies to the nearby Birchwood Trails and Audubon Trails condominiums.

Didier said the RM-4 zoning, which allows for more dense development, would provide needed flexibility for the next landowner.

And if the city wants something less dense, officials can ask the new owner for that when plans come in, he said.

Aldermen ultimately agreed with Didier’s request.

“This has sat there unused for a couple decades and I don’t see that changing soon,” Ald. Pat Tearney said.