Plan Commission recommends approval of 116‑unit mixed‑use development at 511 West Verona Avenue

The Verona Plan Commission on Jan. 5 voted to recommend that the Common Council approve a preliminary and final planned development for a 116‑unit apartment building with roughly 6,900 square feet of commercial space fronting West Verona Avenue.

Mister Severson, city staff, summarized the application and the requested exemptions, saying, "Staff is supportive of the proposal and recommends approval with the 6 conditions listed on page 15 of the report." He described the site as east of the Saint Vincent de Paul thrift store, west of Sugar Creek Commons and north of light industrial uses, and said the proposal would share an access drive and amenities with the existing development.

Commissioners foregrounded compatibility with the surrounding development, landscaping and parking. Alders Swanson said the project "has been a project that's been going on for a while. I'm glad to see something happen with that parking lot," and added that clear lot signage should respect Saint Vincent de Paul's right to restrict parking. Commissioner Taylor said he supported the proposal and noted that the applicant "added more parking stalls than the last" plan. Commissioner Anker and others praised pedestrian connections and the proposed commercial frontage.

The application requests multiple use exemptions — including first‑floor residential where the underlying suburban commercial zoning would not permit it — plus height, pavement setback and canopy signage exemptions. Staff supported first‑floor residential given lot depth and existing development patterns and recommended the height exemption to keep building scale consistent with Sugar Creek Commons. Staff also said financing is secured pending zoning approvals and that construction will not rely on tax‑increment financing.

Commissioners confirmed that the staff condition requiring a recorded cross‑access agreement is included (condition 5). The chair moved the commission recommendation, Commissioner Hernandez seconded, and the motion passed by voice vote.

The commission’s recommendation and the staff report, including the six conditions cited by staff, will be forwarded to the Common Council for final action next week. The transcript contains inconsistent spellings of the site address (variants include "West Fern," "Westfront," and "West Vernon" Avenue); the staff report and packet cited during the meeting identify the property as 511 West Verona Avenue.