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Council holds planned-unit development for Red Smith area after hours of public comment
Summary
The Green Bay Common Council voted 7-5 to hold a proposed planned-unit development for property near Red Smith School until its April 15 meeting after more than two hours of public testimony raised traffic, stormwater, environmental and density concerns.
The Green Bay Common Council on Tuesday voted 7-5 to hold consideration of a planned-unit development (PUD) for roughly 68 acres near Red Smith School until the council's April 15 meeting after several hours of public testimony and board discussion.
Developer representative Brad Reimer outlined the proposal for the site bounded by Algoma Road, Sussex Road, Church Road and Bay Settlement Road, saying the plan would include roughly 15 acres of single-family lots, about 17 acres set aside for multifamily buildings, approximately 6 acres for neighborhood commercial uses and about 30 acres of open space. "We're proposing 2.4 (units per acre), less than what is existing out there today," Reimer said in his presentation.
The measure matters because the proposal would change development patterns in an established single-family neighborhood, and residents said they feared increased traffic at Red Smith School, added pressure on stormwater systems and impacts to the adjacent Niagara escarpment. Jennifer Sundstrom of the Realtors Association of Northeast Wisconsin and other pro-housing speakers urged the council to approve a mix of housing types; many neighbors urged the council to reject or modify the multifamily component and to require stronger environmental protections.
Council discussion ranged across traffic mitigation, stormwater capacity and the legal constraints on requiring the property owner to split parcel legal descriptions. Director Renier Wade told the council that the site is now one legal parcel and that any split into multiple legal descriptions would need either the property owner's cooperation or a formal survey and legal description created at the owner's direction. Steve (engineer) and developer representatives said the development team has delineated wetlands and topography and proposed enlarging stormwater ponds to limit downstream impacts, but they acknowledged uncertainty about how much off-site runoff could be mitigated.
Public testimony included concerns about vehicle congestion at school drop-off and pickup, repeated reports of basement flooding in adjacent neighborhoods, and ecological questions about the nearby escarpment. Multiple residents presented petition signatures and local observations documenting frequent flooding after moderate rains.
After extended debate, Alder Grant moved to hold the PUD consideration to April 15; the motion was seconded and carried 7-5. The hold will allow council members, staff and the developer more time to discuss traffic routing, stormwater capacity, escarpment protections and unit mix before a final vote.
Residents and the developer said they plan to use the interval to pursue more technical work and to seek additional commitments on mitigation. The item will return to council on April 15 for further action.
Ending: The PUD remains pending; council members said they expect additional technical materials and potential amendments ahead of the April 15 meeting.
