Planning commission approves concept for four-story mixed-use building at 115 E. Pier St.

Port Washington Planning Commission on Thursday approved a conceptual plan for a four-story mixed-use building at 115 East Pier Street that the applicant says would include about 50 market-rate apartments and roughly 4,700 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The commission’s approval was given as a conceptual endorsement and requires later design- and site-plan approvals before construction.

The project’s applicant, identified in the packet as Haley Dobre, told the commission the building would sit on the privately owned surface parking lot between Pier Street and Washington Street and would include underground parking and a mix of commercial spaces at street level. “There are currently in the plan as it's being developed 50 units,” the applicant said, adding that the design would offer one- and two-bedroom apartments with in-unit laundry and underground parking.

Commissioners and nearby residents raised parking, height and design concerns. Commissioner Neumeier emphasized the community’s attachment to curbside parking, saying Port Washington residents “love our access to being able to pull up right to the pasta shop,” and urged the applicant and staff to explain how parking supply would work. Planner Bob Harris told the commission the existing private lot currently holds 53 spaces; the conceptual plan shows 63 spaces overall — approximately 42–43 underground and about 20 at street level — and that any change in public parking will be addressed during detailed review.

The commission noted that because downtown zoning (B-4 district) allows 0-foot setbacks and that anything over 35 feet requires a plan commission recommendation to the common council, the project will need additional review at future public hearings if the final design exceeds that threshold. Harris described the conceptual height as in the “50 to 55 foot range,” and commissioners repeatedly warned against permitting later additions such as rooftop mechanicals that could push the building higher.

Design compatibility was a frequent topic. Commissioners encouraged the applicant to use materials and forms that reflect the city’s historic downtown character, and several suggested modest storefront retail uses for the smaller commercial space, such as coffee or a fitness/wellness tenant for the larger corner space. The applicant said the design team (Epstein Ewing Architecture appears on submitted materials) intends to follow the city’s downtown design guidelines.

The commission voted to accept staff’s recommendation and approve the concept plan for referral to the common council and for subsequent detailed review steps. The approval is conceptual only; the applicant must return with building and site plans, and any structure over 35 feet would trigger a public hearing before the common council.

Public comment and staff guidance shaped the discussion. During the earlier public-comment period, Michael Alfie, who identified his address and asked the commission to address scale and parking, said he was “excited for the idea of that project coming in, but I have some questions of, like, scale to parking and number of units.” That feedback resurfaced during the commission’s deliberations.

What’s next: the applicant will refine the design and return for detailed site-plan and design-review steps. The commission and staff emphasized that parking allocations, mechanical screening and final materials will be matters for later applications and for the design review process or common-council hearing if height exceeds 35 feet.