Council to get first crack at Ozaukee Square plan

Port Washington aldermen will get their first public look Tuesday at plans for Ozaukee Square, a sweeping development that would encompass two blocks near downtown and require the purchase of public land, including City Hall and Ozaukee County’s two parking lots.

Mequon developer Cindy Shaffer will present pre-concept plans for Ozaukee Square during the Common Council’s 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, meeting.

It’s unusual for the Common Council to review development plans before the Plan Commission — which is slated to review them on Thursday, Oct. 20.

However, City Administrator Tony Brown said the matter will go to aldermen first because City Hall is part of the project footprint and the properties within the development would need to be rezoned.

Shaffer first revealed her plans for Ozaukee Square to pairs of aldermen in private meetings late last month, seeking input into the proposal.

She also held three sessions with the public to get input that she said was to be used to tweak her plans before they were presented to the Common Council.

Shaffer, who owns Shaffer Development, said last month that she wants to redevelop all the properties in the 100 block of West Grand Avenue between Wisconsin and Milwaukee streets, as well as properties between those two streets north of the county buildings to Washington Street.

In their place, she said, she would like to create a mix of housing, commercial spaces and indoor parking for public and private use as well as a public square that could be used for a variety of uses, everything from musical performances to lawn bowling to markets and an ice skating rink.

Although the county buildings would be left intact, the plan calls for Shaffer to acquire Port City Hall, either by buying it or through a land swap, and raze it as part of the development.

There would be space for a new City Hall, as well as a 26,000-square-foot library, within the development, according to plans presented during the public input meetings.

Although Shaffer’s plan would take up both county parking lots at the Administration Center, she said her plan calls for enough parking within her buildings to more than make up for those spots.

Along Grand Avenue, Shaffer said, she hopes to construct a building that would have commercial shops on the first floor with three floors of residential housing  above it. Parking may also be incorporated into the building, she said.

The housing is planned to be affordable for workers, Shaffer said, noting that businesses in the city have been searching for employees.

The building plans shown during the public meetings didn’t reveal architectural details but instead had boxes that denoted where Shaffer intends to place the structures.

Shaffer asked residents at those meetings to indicate what type of building design they prefer.

Her plans call for a long, L-shaped building that would extend along much of Grand Avenue and up Milwaukee Street to about the north end of the alley next to the county Administration Center. The building could be four to five stories and incorporate commercial spaces, apartments and public parking, although the west side of the building could reach eight stories — something Shaffer said is likely to be shortened.

A public plaza was also shown at the corner of Grand Avenue and Wisconsin Street.

Shaffer said she plans to relocate a Cream City brick house next to Poole Funeral Home to the alley between the funeral home and the Edward Jones building, creating a lineup of historic buildings on Wisconsin Street.

Shaffer said she plans to apply for tax credits for the development and will need a pay-as-you-go tax incremental development for the project.

Although TIF projects have been controversial in the city, she noted that much of the land in her proposed development is publicly owned and currently off the tax rolls.