Work on Port’s largest subdivision begins even as it hits another snag

Grading for the north phase of the Prairie’s Edge subdivision on Port Washington’s southeast bluff began last week — the first tangible sign of progress on the development in years.

But even as work began, the project hit another snag as the Plan Commission last week recommended the Common Council turn down a final plat for the north phase of the project on a 3-3 vote.

The plat was to be considered by the Common Council Tuesday, but representatives of developer Black Cap Halcyon asked that it be taken off the agenda, City Administrator Tony Brown said.

The commission’s decision does not affect the current grading work, Brown said.

Commission members expressed concern about the fact they were asked to approve the final plat with a number of conditions.

Those conditions, which were to be met by July 16 or the agreement would be void, included having Black Cap Halcyon provide the city with a certification that the grading work for the north phase was completed properly, approval of an amended developer’s agreement for all three phases of the project, and the developer providing the city with a letter of credit to cover the cost of infrastructure improvements for the north phase.

“Doing this conditionally can lead to confusion,” Public Works Director Rob Vanden Noven, a member of the commission, said, adding the city has “worked hard to facilitate this development.”

The fact that the city approved a preliminary plat for the development should assure the developer that final approval will be given if Black Cap Halcyon lives up to the conditions of the developer’s agreement, Vanden Noven said.

Mayor Marty Becker, a member of the commission, voted to approve the plat “to get this project moving along.

“The  important thing is that if all these conditions are not met, it’s null and void,” he added.

Bob Harris, the city’s director of planning and development, said the staff had worked with Black Cap Halcyon’s representatives to reach an agreement “with a level of comfort that we can move forward.”

Brown said that even though the company’s efforts to get final plat approval now failed, it should not halt progress on the development.

If the company continues to work and installs the infrastructure and public improvements, he said, it will pave the way for eventual approval of the final plat.

“At some future date, assuming everything continues to move forward for the north phase, that item (the final plat) would be back on the agenda,” Brown said.

Prairie’s Edge is poised to be the city’s largest subdivision, adding almost $60 million to the city’s tax base with 34 single-family houses, 16 pocket neighborhood single-family homes, 20 townhouses and 156 apartments, as well as 30,000 square feet of commercial space.

The north phase of the project includes 14 single-family lakefront houses and a 36-unit assisted living and memory care facility. Construction activity for this phase is expected to continue throughout the year, according to a flier distributed by the developer.