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Wildwood developers urge denser town‑center housing; committee pushes to finalize Main Street extension plan
Summary
A developer study recommended townhomes, rowhouses and mid‑rise housing around Wildwood Town Center; committee members pressed the city to complete engineering for a Main Street extension to shape future development and aid negotiations with potential builders.
A developer-supplied report presented to the Wildwood Economic Development Committee urged the city to consider higher-density housing—townhomes, rowhouses and mid-rise apartments—on several undeveloped Town Center parcels and to preserve historic features on LaSalle, city planning staff said during the committee's August meeting. Committee members used the discussion to press staff to finalize engineering and cost estimates for a proposed Main Street extension so the city can set clear expectations for future development.
Why it matters: committee members said the city's ability to dictate quality, connectivity and pedestrian access increases if it defines and funds the Main Street extension before private developers build adjacent parcels.
A consultant-developer who had prepared the unsolicited site recommendations (presented through staff) recommended: mid-rise apartments or rowhouses on parcels north of Manchester, commercial-with-pedestrian-access near Good News Brewing, and preservation and adaptive reuse strategies for LaSalle's historic grove and structures. The consultant also suggested leveraging Wildwood's parks and trails to attract outdoor-oriented businesses.
Committee members discussed timing, costs and rights-of-way. Planning staff recalled a preliminary estimate of about $2.09 million for the Main Street extension from earlier work and cautioned that inflation could add a few hundred thousand dollars; one council member suggested a higher figure ($3.05 million) as a conversational estimate. Staff also said burying utility lines along the extension would add roughly $2 million to the project cost, while a recent easement estimate for a discrete frontage was about $42,000 total (roughly $10,000–$20,000 per affected parcel, staff said).
Several members urged the city to treat the Main Street extension as a city-led initiative and produce a firm engineering plan and cost estimate to present to developers, rather than waiting for private proposals to dictate road design. Staff said preliminary engineering exists and that the project is included in the city's five-year plan, with design work contemplated in 2027.
No formal council action was taken; the committee lost quorum before votes could be made. Staff will share the preliminary strip map and updated cost information at the next relevant meeting and bring the Main Street extension to the Administration and Public Works committee in September for further discussion.
