[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6188007,"mediaKeyId","5064149-ac8eb8104e8969e1772fdde3a2f76ed2","parentId",5064149,"title","Developers, market analysts and residents debate Germantown village‑center plan and housing needs","audioSeconds",10252,"startMs",3199880,"endMs",13452630,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5064149-ac8eb8104e8969e1772fdde3a2f76ed2&start=3199&end=13452","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5064149-ac8eb8104e8969e1772fdde3a2f76ed2/thumbnail_3199880.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6188007/Germantown/Washington-County/Wisconsin/Developers-market-analysts-and-residents-debate-Germantown-villagecenter-plan-and-housing-needs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6188007-a46de4c338af6c8300c2168c78505c8c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771015576&Signature=ZQ-IwF6NvuB5-SbDGOKRFJnGcfVgwy93SYkVRo0wV~BU6xcdaKryuQ990sge68xDj43UA50NTgMdCQAzjDVXhwiTVqHDNWEhzV3RDH8eC-0ysqblSmaKOzgsZRIsutx3jMvxZj~iEIPRPuy9g9C0RuCTJpc7VPp4D7YLtfA2e7DDuAQlwdJoHntGAbJHipltEYm5b4jOZVCq-OsARIrxdWk9-5Kr-edIpJfGH6VwoqPfZa2RnTfoccxaPaPlBsSUOF1IPm-I-Csa9PdewWZ7vhhFIm62YGlERCp~oG4KOQaUHvOxzjKtIUY1Ni-b2sy4MCDH7-p2bhVg1TQ2l85KJg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Village of Germantown, WI","date","2025-06-25T12:29:59.633Z","article","Village of Germantown officials spent several hours June 2 hearing market research, developer perspectives and resident views as they consider a proposed mixed‑use village center and how to respond to local housing demand.

Pete Meggenberg of Meggenberg Research summarized a 2023 market study of the village‑center site and told the commission the study found \"room for additional multifamily development\" in Germantown. Meggenberg said the firm focused on 15 acres identified for the village center and tested development scenarios of 100, 200 and 300 units, saying such a site could be phased and include mid‑rise apartments, townhomes and town‑center elements.

Why it matters: consultants, developers and brokers told the plan commission that residential rooftops are a prerequisite for sustained retail and restaurant activity. \"You need people in your community that are in place in order to support the village and the restaurants,\" Meggenberg said. Panelists argued that mixed‑use projects can increase local tax base per acre while providing housing choices for seniors, young professionals and families.

Market findings and development economics presented to the commission included: a 2023 Meggenberg study estimate of over 1,000 units of unmet regional multifamily demand; a rule‑of‑thumb multifamily density of roughly 20–22 units per developable acre for higher‑density product; and illustrative construction costs cited by speakers of about $350,000 per mid‑rise apartment unit (800 sq ft prototype). Panelists noted those costs make retail difficult to finance on a standalone basis in today’s market.

Developers and managers described the tenant and market mix they expect. Matt Maroney, CEO of Vanguard Partners, said his firm’s managed properties show a median resident income around $93,000 and low school‑age child yield from apartments (he cited roughly 0.03 students per unit in his portfolio). Cindy Schaeffer, a developer with projects in Mequon and Grafton, described mixed‑use projects that combine residential, public market space and restaurants; her Mequon project, she said, generated roughly $500,000 a year in tax revenue for the city and repaid public land costs over time.

Speakers and realtors at the meeting also laid out local housing market facts. Realtors said Germantown’s average single‑family sale price is in the mid‑$400,000s to $500,000s range and new‑construction homes typically begin in the mid‑$600,000s. Several realtors and developers urged more \"attainable\" housing forms — townhomes, side‑by‑side condominiums and narrower lot single‑family — as ways to expand opportunities for first‑time buyers and households priced out of new construction.

Financing and public incentives were a major topic. Multiple panelists said that, in the current financing environment, many larger mixed‑use projects require gap financing or public incentives such as a tax‑increment financing district (TID) to be feasible. Schaeffer and other developers described working with municipalities on multi‑version developer agreements and on TID durations; they said community‑negotiated concessions on design, infrastructure and timing can shorten TID terms.

Not all attendees supported dense multifamily on village‑center land. Multiple residents and trustees said they value Germantown’s existing character and want any change to be incremental and carefully managed. Public commentators and two written letters included with the record expressed both support for a village center and concern about scale: some urged the village to move forward with a mixed‑use center to retain residents and attract businesses; others asked for more public process and for the village to preserve the community’s character.

One planning‑action from the meeting: the commission noted earlier plan‑commission approval of a separate development, Sutton Farms, which will advance to the village board for consideration. The commission’s discussion on the village center identified next steps more in the form of process than votes: speakers recommended more public engagement, clearer redevelopment objectives, realistic commercial expectations and a granular gap analysis to identify any public financing need.

What officials said they will do next: commissioners and staff signaled they would continue outreach, share consultant materials publicly, consider a refined public engagement schedule (town halls, neighborhood meetings) and explore financial gap analyses and TID scenarios rather than approving a single plan on the spot.

Sources: Presentations by Pete Meggenberg (Meggenberg Research), Matt Maroney (Vanguard Partners), Cindy Schaeffer (Schaeffer Development), retail market data shared by Kevin Schmolt (Newmark), and public comments and letters submitted for the record.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Plan Commission 6/23/25","oneSentenceSummary","Village of Germantown officials spent several hours June 2 hearing market research, developer perspectives and resident views as they consider a proposed mixed‑use village center and how to respond to local housing demand.","taxTitle","Germantown, Washington County, Wisconsin","taxId",69247,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6188012,"Study projects modest student growth in Germantown through 2040; elementary capacity could tighten by early 2030s",2010,1198380,3208494,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5064149-ac8eb8104e8969e1772fdde3a2f76ed2&start=1198&end=3208","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5064149-ac8eb8104e8969e1772fdde3a2f76ed2/thumbnail_1198380.jpg","/articles/6188012/Germantown/Washington-County/Wisconsin/Study-projects-modest-student-growth-in-Germantown-through-2040-elementary-capacity-could-tighten-by-early-2030s","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6188012-098cbb6d938b7d163c83d25188d14f9b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771015576&Signature=UAFdyMpsRigSNQOcvi3NIo3OIhOXkK78iUkOIqHMQKqnbUKum6YnFgxcj14ddSWik8x7EV0cSSpMBlKerIDZ2SVmpo~39ndaYfdLBhi~4ez-b1L6kDWCLHJA-u8yI-0P0hCPnsGQQ4NrSc4YF8bNjqfCngveQROqZ9OodO4aEaw-~mkZnEdGQfQsVJ1tWg36K1RQKq20GtY1aV7A~0A-PeBduXAiVo-qIxERVfB9zaA935VK7bDsrTlH-yUfkuTIb6tarYmwbzY4L2bB2TcwLTybgzdGyaRYUH3nMqRKJ7n5W8HrOl4Ov8GbLCDTcNr7K0rgSr4zByDwcYhPf18mCQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Nick Johnson, a project manager with MD Rofers Consulting, told Germantown officials June 2 that the firm projects modest student increases in the Germantown School District through 2040 and urged the district to begin facility planning in the early 2030s.

Johnson said the firm’s baseline projection assumes about 2,100 new housing units in the district by 2040 — roughly 138 units per year — and that the housing mix is expected to be roughly half single‑family and half multiple‑family. \"Each new single family home in the district generates about 0.6 students,\" Johnson said, and he noted newer multifamily product generates far fewer students per unit than single‑family housing.

That student generation pattern helps explain why MD Rofers projects a net increase of about 150 resident students districtwide by 2040, with most of the growth at the elementary level. The firm forecasts roughly 129 additional elementary students by 2040, concentrated in the MacArthur, Amy Bell and Rockfield attendance areas; County Line Elementary’s attendance area is projected to lose students because it is largely built out.

Why it matters: the firm compared those enrollment projections to building capacities and concluded the district will likely remain under total capacity across its elementary buildings in 2040 but that individual schools could exceed comfortable operational thresholds earlier. Johnson and Germantown School District staff said MacArthur could exceed 90% of its operational capacity by about 2030 and Rockfield could approach that level by 2040. Dr. Bryan Reuter, superintendent of the Germantown School District, described 90% as a commonly used \"comfortable\" operational benchmark for elementary buildings.

The consultant described several scenarios and sensitivities. A no‑new‑housing scenario would produce a projected decline of about 400 resident students by 2040; a higher‑development scenario using MD Rofers’ upper housing assumptions would increase 2040 enrollment by about 280 students. Johnson said the team modeled neighborhood‑level housing change across 75 small areas and then applied student‑generation rates tied to housing type, age and bedroom mix.

Housing and student‑generation details presented to the commission included:
- New single‑family homes: roughly 0.6 students per unit (Johnson).
- Older market‑rate multifamily: about 0.16 students per unit; newer multifamily: about 0.11 students per unit, with mixed‑use village‑center style apartments yielding 0.04–0.08 students per unit in comparable nearby projects (Johnson).
- MD Rofers’ housing projection: about 1,700 new units in the village of Germantown portion of the district by 2040, and nearly 400 units in the village of Jackson and Richfield parts of the district.

School leaders and commissioners used the presentation to explore options. Johnson outlined possible responses to capacity pressures at the elementary level: attendance‑area shifts, designated \"flex\" neighborhoods allowing a subdivision to choose between two schools, adding or replacing elementary buildings (including construction of a fifth elementary), or grade‑group shifts such as moving fifth grade into the middle school.

Dr. Reuter emphasized implementation details that affect facility planning and staffing. He told commissioners that the district’s capacity analysis uses operational efficiency rates — 90% for elementary, 85% for middle school and 80% for high school — to reflect how instructional spaces are used during a school day, and reminded the group that class‑size policies and staffing decisions also affect capacity considerations.

Several commissioners and trustees asked about private school enrollment and the village center development’s potential student impact. Johnson told the group private high‑school increases near the district boundary reduced his high‑school projection by only about 20–30 students, and he estimated the village center, under likely multifamily scenarios, would generate a small number of students (roughly a dozen to two dozen) compared with the larger effect of single‑family subdivisions.

What’s next: MD Rofers and district staff recommended that the Germantown School District begin a formal facility‑planning process in the early 2030s when elementary capacity is projected to become constrained. Officials said the presentation had already been shared with the school board and that a facilities study would explore the tradeoffs named in the presentation.

Sources: Presentation by Nick Johnson, MD Rofers Consulting (report dated 06/02/2025); remarks by Dr. Bryan Reuter, superintendent; discussion with plan‑commission and trustee members at the June 2 Germantown Plan Commission meeting.","A demographic and housing analysis presented to Germantown officials projects about 2,100 new housing units in the school district by 2040 and a net increase of roughly 150 resident students — concentrated at the elementary level — prompting officials to plan facility discussions for the early 2030s.","actionData","errors"]

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Developers, market analysts and residents debate Germantown village‑center plan and housing needs

Study projects modest student growth in Germantown through 2040; elementary capacity could tighten by early 2030s