Plan Commission recommends zoning changes for Ridgeview Estates to allow denser housing and stormwater conservancy

The Fort Atkinson Plan Commission on June 10 recommended that the City Council approve zoning map amendments for portions of the Ridgeview Estates preliminary plat west of Banker Road and portions of Marigold Drive, changes that would allow smaller lot single-family homes, multifamily townhomes, and Conservancy (stormwater) areas.

The zoning amendments would establish MRM12 (multifamily) on some lots, SR5 (a denser single-family designation) on others and Conservancy on nondevelopable land reserved for stormwater management. "This one's pretty straightforward," said Jed Drager, the city's building inspector and zoning administrator, describing the change as part of the preliminary plat process. Drager added that SR5 allows for smaller lot sizes and therefore increases the number of buildable lots in the subdivision.

City staff said the changes align with the city's comprehensive plan and the neighborhood plan the commission and council approved in 2022 for the area. Staff told commissioners that the Conservancy zoning would serve stormwater-management areas near the Banker Road reroute and at the north portion of the subdivision. For larger lots north of Trillium Drive (identified by staff as Parcels 51 and 62), staff said townhomes similar to a recently approved four-unit townhome (Lot 2) are likely, though no site plan has been submitted for those lots yet.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the difference between SR2 and SR5. Drager said SR2 is the least dense single-family category; SR5 permits smaller minimum lot sizes (roughly equivalent to about five units per acre in practice) and has a minimum lot-width requirement that is averaged across a lot's frontage. He also noted that the city tries to avoid mixing zoning within a single block and prefers consistent block zoning.

The commission opened and closed public hearings on the items with no public comment. After discussion, commissioners voted to recommend the West-of-Banker-Road zoning map amendment (zoning map amendment 2025-02) to the City Council and separately recommended approval of the zoning map amendment establishing SR5 for lots shown on the CSM for 1349, 1347 and 1345 Marigold Drive. Both recommendations carried on voice votes.

Staff told the commission the zoning approvals are required to move the Ridgeview Estates preliminary plat forward; the developer holds a development agreement with the city and is awaiting the zoning decisions before applying for building permits. Any specific site plans for townhomes or other multifamily units would return to staff and the commission as required.

Votes at a glance: the commission moved and seconded both recommendations; both motions passed on unanimous voice votes during the meeting.

The recommendations will go to the Fort Atkinson City Council for final action; the staff record does not specify council hearing dates.