Trustees OK rezoning for Northwoods Rd. project

Zoning changes for part of a proposed development north of Green Bay Avenue and east of I-43 were approved last week by the Saukville Village Board, but not before questions were raised about alterations made in the project from when it was first submitted more than 15 years ago.

The village Planning Commission and Village Board each unanimously approved changing zoning from commercial to residential for land on Northwoods Road across from Applewood Drive that will allow building condominiums and residential duplexes.

The two parcels, which total 32.2 acres, are part of the 111-acre mixed-use Saukville Crossings development originally proposed but was shelved by the economic recession that struck in 2008.

The project will extend from Market Street near Piggly Wiggly at the south end, north around the Feith Family YMCA to beyond the two residential lots between I-43 and Northwoods Road.

A big-box store was originally proposed at the northern end of the project. At one  time it was considered by Walmart as a potential site for its store on Green Bay Avenue.

The land surrounding the big-box site was  zoned  for smaller commercial establishments.

But changing economic times called for alterations to the plan, Ian McCain, a construction manager with Ansay Development, told village planners.

“We still see some business opportunities there but not for a big-box store,” he said. “We see a need to upscale the residential component to offset the risk of the commercial development.”

McCain said there are “several interested parties” Ansay is working with on the commercial component of the project.

“It continues to bother me that you’re asking for a dilution of (commercial area),” said Trustee Richard Belling. “I’m a little concerned about the balance” between commercial and residential.

Former village Public Works Director Roy Wilhelm, who also was involved in originally approving the project, complained during a public hearing on the rezoning that the plan presented last week ran counter to the original intent of the tax incremental finance, or TIF, district that was created to help pay for water, sewer, streets and other infrastructure.

“The whole premise was the big box was to be the anchor of the TIF,” Wilhelm said.

TIF districts divert property tax revenue for a set period of time to fund infrastructure for development. Once the project is complete, the property reverts to the general levy, hopefully at a higher value.

McCain said a big-box store in that location and in this economy is “a non-starter. If the village insists on a big box, the development isn’t going to happen.”

The revived project will require a TIF “overlay,” officials said, that reflects changes being made from the original plans.

Village officials emphasized that the project would be a pay-as-you-go development, meaning the developer would pay for infrastructure improvements out of pocket and then be reimbursed from the TIF, limiting the village’s liability.

Village President Barb Dickmann also emphasized that the village would be reimbursed for other development fees and costs by the developer.

More than 41 acres of the project is designated “environmental or stormwater” and more than 12 acres are tabbed for “recreation” uses, most of it at the north end nearest to I-43, according to documents submitted to the village. About 10 acres at the south end are designated commercial.

Market Street, which currently ends in a wooded field near Piggly Wiggly and Camping World, will be the main road through the development, continuing north roughly parallel to I-43 before curving east to meet up with Northwoods Road near Applewood Drive.