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Neighbors urge council to press developer on Backus site, cite drainage and height concerns
Summary
Multiple neighbors told the Verona Common Council they feel ignored by the developer of the Backus property and urged the city to press for lower building heights, broken-up massing, and stronger drainage protections.
Several residents of neighborhoods bordering the Backus property told the Verona Common Council on Nov. 24 that a proposed change from single-family housing to higher-density urban residential would harm neighborhood character and risk flooding.
At the start of the meeting an emotional resident said neighbors had not received timely responses from the developer and presented a rendering she said shows two- to three-story views from her basement. "We feel us neighbors feel like we've been completely ignored in this process by them," she said. Melanie Hunt, who identified her address and said her home flooded several times after Highway M construction, told the council, "Susceptibility doesn't remove responsibility," arguing that replacing green space with hard surfaces could re-route water and worsen drainage for existing homes.
Several speakers expressed a consistent set of concerns: increased building heights and massing (one neighbor described a "300 foot long building" behind homes), proximity to property lines, traffic and safety impacts from added apartment units, and long-term effects on neighborhood character. Dale Viski, who said about a dozen neighbors had sent a September 20 letter, listed traffic, noise, diesel emissions near a proposed public works site on Shady Bend Road, and potential property devaluation as reasons to seek an alternative site.
Tony DeRosa of Fiduciary Real Estate, which has proposed development on the Backus site, said the company has scheduled a December 4 meeting with neighbors to walk the property, will stake property and retaining-wall lines, and plans to bring additional renderings to clarify questions. "We're looking at that as an opportunity to bring some additional renderings to clear up any confusion," DeRosa said.
The public-comment period closed with no formal council action on the Backus rezoning recorded at the meeting. Council members repeatedly encouraged continued dialogue between neighbors and the developer and emphasized that any zoning or application decisions would proceed through the established review process.
The council took up other agenda items later in the meeting, including continued study of a public works facility and discussions about the Range Trail developer proposals.
