Cross Plains plan commission postpones Marchstone preliminary plat after residents raise flooding, traffic and pesticide concerns

The Village of Cross Plains Plan Commission on July 7 postponed consideration of the preliminary plat for the Marchstone (also described in materials as the Ingenuity property) after a lengthy public hearing and staff review that drew more than a dozen in‑person and online speakers and detailed technical questions from commissioners and village staff.

Residents and conservation groups urged the commission to delay approval until the village receives more analysis and stronger guarantees on stormwater, groundwater recharge and traffic access. Many speakers also objected to a proposed golf course inside the 483‑acre project, saying it risks runoff of pesticides and fertilizers into Black Earth Creek, which local groups and the Department of Natural Resources classify as an outstanding resource water and a class 1 trout fishery.

"Golf courses are notorious for causing large amounts of herbicide and pesticides into water sources," said resident Jocelyn Wilkie, who asked how the development would protect the village water supply. Tyler Marshall, a resident who identified recent local rainfall records, told the commission: "Converting 483 acres of farmland into roofs, streets, parking lots, and a golf course will replace our best natural sponge with hard surfaces, sending runoff more quickly into the Black Earth and Brewery Creeks and raising flood peaks for everyone downstream."

Why it matters: The preliminary plat would enable the developer to begin construction of the first phase of MarcheStone—about 130 housing units in phase 1 by the developer's count—and dedicates a large outlot for a public golf course. Commissioners and staff said the scope of the project and the watershed's protected status require more detailed…