Plan Commission delays decision on 606 Reeve Drive site plan, requests improved Main Street facade and visual landscaping

The Waunakee Plan Commission opened a public hearing and discussed a site plan and conditional-use permit for 606 Reeve Drive, the former Wanna Wash, proposing a two-story mixed-use building with 12 residential units and about 1,300 square feet of first-floor commercial space.

Lauren, village planning staff, summarized the application and told commissioners that staff recommended approval of the site plan and conditional-use permit pending further discussion of the architectural design. Brandy Kalinski, site civil with Burecker, represented the civil engineering team; the project's architect was not present. The applicant’s contractor, identified as Alex of Little Creek Construction, and designer Pat Egan (with 1 Design & Engineering) answered technical and materials questions.

Commissioners focused discussion on the building’s Main Street frontage and appearance. “I really would like to see the architecture improved on Main Street,” said Commissioner Sue Springman, reflecting comments from several members who said the south-facing elevation looks residential and flat rather than appropriately downtown. Commissioners asked for more visual, colored elevations that highlight materials and a clearer landscaping concept between the private entry sidewalk and the public Main Street sidewalk.

Applicants and staff described site elements: the parking area is north of the building with pedestrian access from the lot and Main Street; there is an on-site bio-retention basin that the engineer said is approximately 1.5 feet deep and functions as a dry bioretention feature that drains within 24–48 hours after storm events; the commercial space will be used by the project owners as an office (not general retail) and will be secured and locked to prevent public access to interior residential halls. The packet materials include a landscape plan (sheet 24) and color renderings (packet page 34), but several commissioners said those materials were hard to read and requested larger, more visual renderings.

Commissioners also discussed whether the Comprehensive Plan’s guidance for Main Street frontage favors commercial uses along that block and whether a single small commercial unit is consistent with the long-term plan for Main Street. Commissioner Joe Zitzelsberger said he believed the comp plan reserves frontage east of Holiday Drive for commercial uses and that a single, small office may feel out of place.

No members of the public spoke during the hearing. The commission did not vote to approve the site plan at the meeting; instead commissioners requested the applicant return with revised, more-visual colored elevations showing facade treatments and a clarified materials list, plus clearer illustrations of pedestrian connections and the bioretention landscaping. Staff and the applicant agreed to provide enlarged renderings and material specifications to address the commission’s concerns before the project returns to a future Plan Commission meeting.

The discussion included a disclosure at the start of the item that one commissioner would abstain from that conversation.