Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Plan Commission approves 32-unit multifamily plan at Bowen Street with conditions after access concerns
Summary
The Oshkosh City Plan Commission approved a specific implementation plan for a 32-unit apartment development at 0 Bowen Street, 2.26 acres, by a 5-1 vote. Commissioners raised concerns about driveway durability, pedestrian connectivity and street-tree selections; staff conditioned approval on required cross-access agreements and site-plan review.
The Oshkosh City Plan Commission on Feb. 19 approved a specific implementation plan for a 32-unit multifamily development on a 2.26-acre vacant parcel at the southwest corner of East Murdoch Avenue and Bowen Street.
City planning staff told the commission the proposal includes two eight-unit buildings, one 16-unit building, 32 garage spaces and 36 uncovered spaces, a required 1,800-square-foot recreation area and building materials primarily of brick with vinyl trim. Staff recommended approval of the SIP with the findings and conditions in the staff report, including registration of a cross-access agreement with the Winnebago County Register of Deeds and site-plan review verification of lighting, landscaping and setback modifications.
The commission’s approval came with discussion about the shared driveway that provides access across adjacent property and about pedestrian connectivity inside the site. Staff said the site is zoned Urban Mixed Use (UMU) with a previously approved general development plan (GDP) dated Oct. 22, 2024, and that the SIP meets the density and other code requirements subject to the identified conditions. The plan requests a reduced setback of 18.7 feet where the code minimum is 25 feet; staff said the applicant offset building-standard modifications with additional landscaping and enhanced materials.
A commissioner raised repeated concern that the driveway is not on the applicant’s lot and predicted deterioration during construction and the spring freeze-thaw cycle; staff responded that if the driveway becomes unusable or falls into disrepair code requires maintenance and that the cross-access agreement would require the applicant to repair construction-related damage. Applicant representative Chet Weisenberg said, “our agreement will be that any any damages as a result of construction will be repaired,” and said he was available to answer questions.
Commissioners also asked about internal pedestrian connections and whether additional markings or sidewalks across drive aisles would be required; staff said the UMU district requires at least one pedestrian access to a street frontage and that additional internal striping is required only where a path crosses a drive aisle per code. Staff noted the landscape plan currently shows river birch trees, which are tall trees and do not count toward the medium-tree street-frontage requirement; staff said the tree selection will need modification during site-plan review.
The motion to adopt the staff findings and recommendations carried 5-1 on a roll call vote. The commission’s conditions include recording the cross-access agreement, verifying shielded site lighting and confirming tree/species adjustments and other site-plan review items before ministerial approvals.
The SIP will proceed to site-plan review to verify building materials, lighting shielding, final landscaping and the registered cross-access agreement prior to final permits.
