Commission approves Brookstone 94‑unit multifamily project with conditions on balconies and landscaping

At an initial hearing Nov. 6 the City Plan Commission approved conditions and moved the Brookstone multifamily project ahead that proposes 94 units at the south border of 42nd Street and 35th Avenue. The applicant described a revised site plan that splits the program into three buildings (one four‑story building of senior units and two lower stacked‑flat buildings) while retaining the total of 94 units: 48 senior units and 46 non‑age‑restricted units.

Developer remarks in the public record confirmed the project remains rent and income restricted as part of the financing—applicant representatives said the units remain affordable under the tax‑credit program supporting the project. The applicant asked for flexibility on a staff condition that originally required porches or balconies on every unit, proposing that roughly 30–35 units receive porches or balconies instead; commissioners and the mayor favored balconies on most or all units. The commission ultimately amended the condition to require balconies on all units.

The applicant also raised landscaping constraints along the site’s south edge where a 16‑foot We Energies easement limits planting and fencing. Staff noted the ordinance requires a 10‑foot landscape buffer but that the review authority can alter requirements; the applicant and staff agreed to work together on a revised buffer design using lower plantings that comply with easement limits.

Staff confirmed detailed floor plans for the senior building are in the packet (senior building: 32 one‑bedroom units at about 625 sq ft and 16 two‑bedroom units at about 950 sq ft; senior units include balconies), and commissioners asked for final landscaping and design variations to be worked out with staff. A motion to approve the item subject to the conditions as amended (balconies and a staff‑applicant landscape solution) carried on a voice vote.