Wausau planning commission approves specific implementation plan for proposed apartment building despite traffic objections

The Wausau Planning Commission voted Tuesday to approve the specific implementation plan for a proposed residential building, following a staff recommendation and presentations from the developer and architect. The motion, made by Commissioner Watson and seconded by Commissioner Vulcan, passed with two commissioners recorded as opposed; the transcript did not name who cast the affirmative votes.

Staff said the plan supplies detailed floor plans, exterior elevations and landscaping, and addresses the ten evaluation criteria in the city's zoning code. “The staff did find that there is satisfactory information for approval on this,” a city staff member said during the meeting, noting that the specific implementation plan provides more detail than the previously approved general development plan that the council had passed.

The developer’s representative, Tyler from Commonwealth, told the commission the construction team expects only short-term road closures for required utility extensions and will use a just-in-time delivery model to avoid staging large amounts of materials on-site. “In talking with our construction team, in terms of road closures, it'll be short term exclusively just for utility extensions that are required,” Tyler said. He added the team plans to limit on-site stored materials so deliveries arrive when needed.

Commission discussion centered on traffic and safety at the site’s intersections. Staff cited average annual daily traffic counts of roughly 23,000 on Grand Avenue and 14,000 on Thomas Street near the project site and noted that vehicle trips generated by the development would represent less than 1% of daily traffic on those roads. One commissioner who represents the adjacent district said residents and commuters use the corner heavily and expressed concerns that construction and future operations would compromise safety; that commissioner said they could support the project elsewhere in the city but not at this lot.

City engineering staff confirmed that street-closure permits and temporary lane closures are reviewed through the engineering office and that the permit process addresses signage, detours and emergency access. The engineering representative said utility connections that require cutting and then repaving concrete typically take about a week for the work and curing before reopening traffic. The applicant estimated a construction timeline of about 15 months.

Commissioner comments were mixed: one commissioner said they expect the development could be an asset and praised the project’s handling of a challenging site, while another said from an engineering perspective they would vote no because of ingress and egress difficulties on Thomas Street and uncertainty about future state Department of Transportation intersection improvements. The item was decided by vote at the meeting and does not go on to council, the staff member noted.

Earlier in the meeting the commission also approved the Dec. 21 meeting minutes by motion of Commissioner Balkan, seconded by Commissioner Bornaman.

The commission adjourned; its next scheduled meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at 5 p.m. in the same location.