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Oconomowoc staff outline sanitary sewer study for four outlying areas; developers say high off‑site costs limit near-term projects
Summary
City staff presented a hybrid sanitary-sewer study covering four southwest-area tracts where developers are requesting sewer service; the report shows multiple routing and pump-station options and warns that off-site costs and topography could make development infeasible without city participation or changed densities.
City of Oconomowoc staff on June 17 presented a hybrid sanitary-sewer study that analyzes options for providing sewer service to four undeveloped or partially developed areas south and west of the city center.
Why it matters: The study is an early-stage, engineering-level look at how to extend sanitary sewers into parcels that are beginning to draw developer interest. Staff and the city’s consultant identified a range of options — some that depend on orderly, coordinated development and some that would require temporary pump stations and force mains — and urged a prioritized follow-up study for one of the areas the consultant labeled Area 1.
Study highlights Staff laid out four geographic areas of interest. Area 1 (the south-of-Concord/Riverline area) was the most detailed: engineers showed three build-out scenarios and explained that when parcels develop out of sequence the city could face the cost of temporary pump stations and force mains that later become redundant. The study found that the least-cost scenario would be orderly build-out led by the large parcel owner; alternate sequencing could force the city or early developers to absorb higher, short-term costs.
City staff said Area 4, a larger tract currently in the town of Oconomowoc adjacent to city limits, would likely require at least one new pump station and force main to route sewage back toward an existing main. Staff noted that water service would be a separate analysis and that the most cost-effective solution often depends on the final zoning/density the city approves.
Developer perspective Area developers attended the meeting. Developer Corey O’Donnell said his group has studied a 118-acre tract in Area 4 and that economics are the central hurdle: he estimated earlier proposals would be —3prohibitive— because off-site assessments and the cost to install pump stations or long force mains push per-lot costs too high for workable development.
Staff recommendations and next steps Staff recommended the city prioritize a deeper analysis of Area 3 and continue hybrid studies — using city staff and consultant resources — for the other areas. Staff suggested working with developers on densities and possible phased approaches; they also noted the city could choose to build a regional pump station and assess benefited properties when connections are made, as the city has done on previous projects.
No final policy or budget decision was made at the June 17 meeting; staff asked council to confirm whether to proceed with further study work on additional areas and to use the study results as a basis for later policy discussions about assessments, densities and possible city investment in trunk infrastructure.
