Plan for city land makes debut to rave reviews

A proposal to build 20 townhouses on the current site of Port Washington’s police and fire stations received enthusiastic approval from the Plan Commission during the first public discussion of the plan.

Committee members praised The Seven Hills Collection, which was proposed by PFD Redevelopment — an entity comprised of Fine Line Carpentry of Port Washington and two partners, Paul Schueller and Peter Herrmann, who each own houses next to the site.

“I love the concept,” Plan Commission member Mike Ehrlich, an architect, said. “I think this will fit right in.”

He lauded the fact the design has residential buildings surrounding a communal area where amenities such as a pergola or fire pits could be placed.

“I think it’s really well done,” Ehrlich said.

The design calls for eight side-by-side townhouse buildings to be built facing Jackson, Wisconsin and Washington streets with a four-unit building on the far west side of the lot.

Four different, complementary designs would be used for the buildings, which would vary from three to four stories. Units would range from 2,175 square feet to 2,817 square feet.

Commission member Eric Ryer cast the lone vote against the concept plan.

“I’m a height person,” he said, asking developer Nick Suddendorf to reconsider the tallest of the buildings.

Bob Harris, the city’s director of planning and development, noted that the bulk of the buildings are less than 35 feet tall. Only the westernmost structure is taller, reaching about 40 feet, he said, because of a rooftop deck.

Only the center of the building’s four units will be that tall, he noted.

That, said Suddendorf, is to protect the views from existing houses atop the bluff on Milwaukee Street.

Suddendorf said his team took care to keep the overall height of the buildings down, including using flat or shallow angle roofs on most of them.

Despite his reservations about the building heights, Ryer praised other aspects of the design.

“It’s really nice,” he said. “I like that you’re differentiating the buildings.”

The Wisconsin Street buildings, which sit at the lowest elevation on the sloping site, have a little more commercial feel with a flat roof, Suddendorf noted, something that will help transition from the commercial feeling of downtown to a more residential feeling to the west.

“Nick did a nice job with his team,” Mayor Ted Neitzke said, noting he met with the neighbors and worked to make the design meld with the existing houses.

That was important for the Common Council, which wanted to ensure it was not creating a “mistake on the lake,” he said.

The PFD Redevelopment proposal calls for construction to begin in November 2026 with completion in spring 2029.

The development would be valued at $16 million, according to the proposal.

PFD Redevelopment is purchasing the police and fire station site from the city in an agreement approved by aldermen in May. It was one of three firms who submitted a proposal for the property, proposals considered by the Common Council in closed sessions.

The purchase agreement calls for the city to receive $465,000 for the property but specifies that the city will reimburse the developer for the cost of moving and burying power lines to the property and demolishing the police and fire stations.

These costs are capped at $464,999, Neitzke said, so if the costs meet or exceed the cap, the city will net $1 for the sale of the property.

Redevelopment of the police and fire station site has been a priority for the city since the two departments will be moving to the new Public Safety Building on the city’s west side in August.

Last week’s approval was the first of several needed for the development. Harris said the Plan Commission will be asked to recommend amending the city’s comprehensive plan and rezoning the land, which is currently designated for public utility uses, in August.

Those recommendations would then be considered by the Common Council in September.

A final site plan for the project is also likely to be considered by the Plan Commission in September.

A developer’s agreement for the project must be signed by Aug. 21, according to the purchase agreement, with the sale finalized by Sept. 30.