Port to deal with developer who plans 353 homes on 39 acres

A RENDERING OF plans by developer Cindy Shaffer for the Schanen farm property owned by the City of Port Washington shows a relatively dense subdivision that includes single-family and some multifamily homes.
The City of Port Washington is negotiating with developer Cindy Shaffer for the sale of the Schanen farm on the city’s far west side.
Shaffer has proposed building 353 homes on the 39-acre parcel, a much more dense development than the 96 houses proposed by Neumann Development of Pewaukee, which also sought to buy the land.
Aldermen on Tuesday voted 5-2 with aldermen John Sigwart and Mike Gasper dissenting, to authorize Administrator Tony Brown and city staff members to negotiate with Shaffer Development of Mequon for construction of a residential development on the land south of Highway 33 and east of Jackson Road.
Mayor Ted Neitzke said he preferred Shaffer’s development proposal in large part because of the creativity it showed.
“She responded to our request to do something very unique for our entrance,” he said, noting the development will clearly define the city’s western gateway.
Neitzke said he also liked the fact that Shaffer uses local contractors in her developments while Neumann has an outside builder for its developments.
“It’s not just a potential tax (base) boost, it’s also a benefit for our small businesses,” he said.
Ald. Jonathan Pleitner, who made the motion to negotiate with Shaffer, said, “On its face, I think it’s an attractive concept for the city.”
Pleitner said that while he likes the fact it will maximize the tax base that will be added, other considerations also came into play for him.
Shaffer’s development had more green space and offered a variety of housing, including smaller single-family houses and apartments.
That, he said, will attract not only first-time home buyers and families but also older people who want to remain in the community but no longer need the larger house where they raised their family.
The small houses will also help “preserve the small neighborhood feeling of the area,” Pleitner said. “We don’t need McMansions anymore.
“There are a lot of neat ideas in there,” he said.
Pleitner said he would prefer that the development be less dense, but said that is a subject that can be negotiated.
“This isn’t final by any means,” he said.
Shaffer’s development proposal, received by the city before the Aug. 11 deadline, is for The Farm. It’s a modified version of a plan Shaffer pitched for land off Highway LL last year, and it would include 100 single-family houses and 253 stacked ranch homes as well as amenities such as community gardens, a hydroponic vertical farm, pollinator gardens and shared spaces.
According to the proposal, the subdivision would “integrate small, economically priced single-family homes and rental units within a walkable and neighborhood environment” that would feature front porches, sidewalks and gathering areas.
Multifamily stacked ranch units with private entrances would “allow for flexible economic housing while creating density for the tax base,” according to the proposal.
The proposal says the project would create an innovative, multigenerational community sought by young professionals, growing families and seniors.
Shaffer estimated that when completed, it would have a value of $72.9 million and bring in tax revenue of $1.1 million.
The development would take about five years to complete, according to the proposal.
In her development proposal, Shaffer said she would buy the property from the city for $1 million.
Tuesday’s vote came after the Common Council spent an hour in closed session discussing not only the proposals for the Schanen farm but also terms and conditions for an option to purchase a nearby seven-acre parcel at the interchange of highways 33 and LL from Ozaukee County for a public safety complex.
Aldermen took no action on the option to purchase.
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