The Judiciary and Administration Committee of the City of La Crosse approved both the preliminary and final plats for the Chambers Markel Farmstead subdivision on July 1, 2025, voting 6-1 on each motion. Staff recommended approval for both plats contingent on meeting outstanding engineering and utilities requirements.

The plats cover a subdivision of Lot 21 in the Waterview Subdivision on River Run Road into four parcels: three new parcels intended for owner-occupied two-unit dwellings and one parcel retaining the existing farmhouse and outbuildings. Deputy Director Tim Ackland told the committee the proposed layout is consistent with the comprehensive plan, and that each parcel will be required to manage stormwater on-site. Ackland said planning staff recommended approval with the condition that remaining engineering and utilities requirements be met.

Neighbor Jackie Kettner Sieber, a City of La Crosse resident whose property abuts the site, urged caution. “This is gonna add up to 6 additional homeowners,” she said, and added that she was concerned the new units would not be targeted to low-income households. She also noted site-specific hydrology: “There’s 2 large pools of standing water from a spring or a well on the property… The water is always there and never freezes. I have a significant concern that the development in this specific location will disrupt a large amount of natural water,” Sieber said. She asked that the city obtain documentation that underground water will not pose issues before development proceeds.

Applicant Carl Schilling, who identified himself as a resident of Onalaska and the project applicant, said the proposal had been reviewed by city engineering, surveying, the county, inspection, planning staff and the Wisconsin DNR, and that those reviews had approved the proposal. “We’re gonna follow the rules on what’s outlined by the city,” Schilling said.

Council members emphasized that the committee was voting on the plats, not on building permits or later construction details. Council member Trost moved approval of the preliminary plat (agenda item 25-0466); the motion was seconded by Council President Dickinson and passed 6 yes, 1 no. Trost also moved approval of the final plat (agenda item 25-0741); that motion was seconded by Dickinson and likewise passed 6 yes, 1 no. The staff report and minutes show that the engineering department’s outstanding comments were addressed between 4 p.m. the prior day and the meeting, and that the approvals remain contingent on compliance with the conditions set out in the staff report.

Why it matters: The plats allow Lot 21 to be subdivided into smaller parcels and make room for up to two-unit owner-occupied dwellings on three of the new lots, increasing housing units in the Waterview neighborhood. At the same time, neighbor concerns about persistent surface and subsurface water highlight the need for final engineering confirmation that on-site stormwater controls and any groundwater issues will not affect adjacent properties.

The committee record notes that the preliminary plat had been referred from the June meeting and that staff and the Plan Commission recommended approval. Both plats will appear on the full City Council agenda at 6 p.m. next Thursday for final action as required by the council’s process.