Port Washington poised to grow by two subdivisions

The City of Port Washington is about to grow a little bit.

The Plan Commission last week approved concept plans for two new subdivisions, one on the north side of the city and one on the south side, on land currently in the Town of Grafton.

The subdivisions, which also got the nod from the Design Review Board, would add 152 homes to the city, most of them single-family residences.

The proposed Whitetail subdivision would be created on the former Weiss farm north of Terrace Drive and Groeschel Road and east of Highway LL.

The property consists of a triangular shaped parcel directly off Highway LL that’s connected to a largely square piece to the southeast. 

The plan calls for the property to be divided into 70 lots, 68 of them for housing and two large lots fronting Highway LL. No uses have been identified for those larger lots., Bob Harris, the city’s director of planning and development, said.

There would be nine duplexes built on a road that connects with Highway LL, and that road would lead to several others lined with single-family lots on the interior piece of property.

The roads will connect with Terrace Drive and Groeschel Road, but commission members questioned the fact there are also two cul-de-sacs planned.

Several members also expressed concern that there is no connection with the Birchwood Hills Nature Area, which adjoins the subdivision.

The Whitetail subdivision is bordered on the east by a woods that became a matter of contention because some of the trees will need to be cut to accommodate several of the houses.

The woods are considered an isolated natural area  and the city’s comprehensive plan calls for a conservation protection overlay to be imposed on these areas, Public Works Director Rob Vanden Noven, a commission member, said.

“It’s a beautiful area. It’s going to be a great asset,” Vanden Noven said. “We’ve made efforts to preserve those (isolated natural areas) in other areas of the city. I don’t think that overlay should be ignored.”

“I couldn’t vote for something that would take down a woodland. It’s too valuable.”

He asked that the developer adjust the plan to avoid the woods, and that he get rid of one of the two cul-de-sacs in the subdivision, saying it would help with traffic flow. 

Other commission members concurred, suggesting changes that included adding lots on the two parcels facing Highway LL that haven’t been designated.

Those lots will likely be multifamily housing, Kevin Parish of Quam Engineering said.

The concept plan, which Harris said is nearly identical to one approved by the city in 2005, was approved with members directing the developer to take Vanden Noven’s concerns about the cul-de-sac and natural areas into account as planning continues.

Mayor Marty Becker, a member of the commission, said he likes the plans and asked the developer to make a donation to the neighboring Birchwood Hills Nature Area, such as a pavilion or trails, in lieu of adding a park.

“I’d rather have a natural Birchwood Hills,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for this (development) for close to 20 years.”

“It’s a great project that’s been sitting there waiting to happen for years,” commission member Tony Matera said. A concept plan for the 31-acre Highland Pointe subdivision, an 82-home subdivision north of New Port Vista Drive and south of East Sauk Road, was also approved by the commission.

Noting its location north of the New Port Vista multi-family apartments, Bryan Lindgren of Neumann Development told the commission that care was taken to make sure the subdivision melded with its neighbors.

“We think this transition is a good transition as we move to the north and west,” Lindgren said.

Houses in the neighboring subdivisions are moving quickly, he added.

“They’re selling them as fast as they can put them in the ground,” Lindgren said. 

Much of the discussion centered around the roads in the subdivision, particularly two cul-de-sacs. 

Lindgren said lots on these roads are sought after by home buyers and help reduce the cost for developers, but Vanden Noven said they aren’t the best choice.

“Connectivity is important,” he said, noting drivers will need to take a circuitous route to get in and out of the area. 

Commission members agreed, approving the project without one of the cul-de-sacs and conditioning approval on annexation to the city and a developer’s agreement being negotiated with the city.

Lindgren said construction is expected to begin this fall with completion of the project in summer 2022.