Winding Creek Estates preliminary plat shows mixed housing, stormwater and trail connections

Village planning staff presented the preliminary plat and plan unit development for the Winding Creek Estates subdivision (VA733-2), a mixed‑use residential project south of West Main Avenue near Sandy Acres.

Planner Aaron (last name not specified) displayed the plan unit development and described the proposed layout: smaller single‑family lots similar to nearby Woods Edge, owner‑occupied duplexes and townhomes, and apartment buildings of roughly 60 units on the east side of the site. The plan shows floodplain and steep‑slope areas that the planner identified as environmentally sensitive and a stormwater pond designed to serve the development.

Aaron said Pagels Place will be extended east to a cul‑de‑sac; there is interest in an eventual connection to Spirit Way, but the adjacent property owner is not currently interested in developing, so the design provides a temporary cul‑de‑sac for the foreseeable future. The planner also noted a bench level and narrow parcel access for maintenance vehicles around the stormwater pond to allow dredging or vegetation work when needed.

The trans‑Canada (pipeline) corridor and the Sand Acres Trail will be considered as part of the project. The trail route presently follows the pipeline easement and may jog around the pipeline right‑of‑way; the planner said the development will seek to extend the Sand Acres Trail through or around the property and connect to Arts Lane and the future West Main Avenue trail extension into De Pere.

The developer and staff discussed traffic and access. Lots in the proposed subdivision are relatively tight, and a 20‑foot access easement that would allow a cut‑through to the YMCA and nearby commercial areas would be difficult to accommodate on the proposed lots, the planner said. The project will require coordination on private drives (Misty Meadows Circle is private) and construction traffic so it's not routed through private condo drives.

Zoning and plat status: the plan unit development (zoning) was scheduled to go to the village board this month; the preliminary subdivision plat is at the preliminary‑plat stage and also scheduled for village board consideration. The planner said that under state statute a subdivision plat that meets the village ordinance and state requirements generally must be approved; he described the preliminary‑plat step as the point where the village’s authority lies and said construction could start in early 2026 depending on market conditions and approvals.

Sidewalks: staff noted the subdivision is the first under the village’s new rules requiring sidewalks on both sides of all streets in new subdivisions.

No formal action — approval or denial — occurred at the committee meeting; staff said the zoning and preliminary plat would move forward to the village board for formal decisions.