Eau Claire plan commission approves Creekside rezoning with conditions after neighbors raise tree, traffic concerns

The Eau Claire Plan Commission on March 17 approved rezoning and a preliminary plat for the Creekside subdivision, a proposal that would create 109 single-family lots and 42 twin-home units, voting 6-1 to forward the proposal to city council with three added conditions.

The commission voted to approve the developers’ request to change the property’s temporary TR1A zoning to permanent R1 and R2P to allow single-family homes and owner-occupied twin homes. The plan commission’s approval included a condition requiring a minimum 6-foot gravel shoulder on the south side of Evergreen Terrace and the east side of Mishler, a dedicated neighborhood playground inside the Creekside plat, and a requirement that the applicant and city staff work out protective buffering near the creek’s top-of-bank before final plat approval. Commissioner Zoid cast the lone “no” vote.

Why it matters: The Creekside preliminary plat covers about 39.6 acres on the city’s southern edge and is intended to add a mix of housing types cited in the city’s comprehensive plan. Neighbors and some commissioners said the plan’s tree clearing, traffic impacts on Loews/Lowes Creek Road and Mishler, and protection of a riparian corridor need stronger safeguards before the project advances to final approval.

What the application would do: Developer presentations and the preliminary plat show 109 single-family lots and 42 twin homes (21 duplex structures). The developer asked to allow a…