Verona council denies planned development and event center at 511 West Verona Avenue over parking concerns

The Verona Common Council on Monday denied a planned development that would have added a 116-unit apartment building and a 14,281-square-foot event center for up to 200 people at 511 West Verona Avenue, voting 6–2 to reject the proposal.

Council members and city staff said the project — which relied on shared parking with adjacent properties — did not provide sufficient long-term guarantees that parking would be available for both residents and event attendees. "The zoning plans fail to provide adequate parking for the uses and the proposed shared parking agreements do not contain terms and conditions sufficient to overcome the parking deficiencies," a motion read into the record said and which the council adopted.

Why it matters: The project combined housing and an event venue in Sugar Creek Commons, a pairing backers said would add housing supply and a community-serving event space. Opponents and planning staff said the proposal would leave the development and nearby businesses with insufficient parking at peak event times, harming residents' quality of life and local businesses' operations.

Developer and supporters: Connor Net, representing Ford Development Group, told the council…