County and partners present NextGen concept for about 200 owner-occupied homes; commissioners raise buffer and traffic concerns
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Summary
Washington County and partners presented a three-area NextGen housing concept for roughly 200 owner-occupied units on county and partner land in West Bend; the commission directed staff to set public hearings for associated comprehensive plan and zoning amendments and asked for more detail on buffering, traffic and utility capacity.
Washington County representatives and private partners outlined a ‘NextGen’ housing concept at a West Bend City Plan Commission meeting that would yield roughly 200 owner-occupied dwellings across three concept areas in and near the city.
Deb Silskin, Washington County community development director, said the county’s goal is to redevelop county-owned parcels and partner land into owner-occupied ‘missing middle’ housing while returning county land to the tax rolls. The county’s presentation described three study areas (North, Central and South) and proposed a mix of single-family, duplex and townhome products, parks, walking trails and alley-access parking in several neighborhoods. The county noted a goal that a significant share of homes would be offered at NextGen price points: roughly 40% at or below about $340,000 and another tranche near $360,000 (county target language in the presentation packet).
The commission heard that the North area would contain about 50 units (mix of single-family and duplex), the Central area about 47 single-family units, and the South area between about 73 and 103 units depending on the alternative. County staff said the full project includes roughly 49 acres of county-owned land and about 17 acres owned by a private partner (Synergy Ops/Regal Ware area), spanning from Schmidt Road down to Water Street.
Commissioners and the public raised concerns about siting housing next to existing industrial uses and a Synergy Ops facility. Commissioner Jed said he was uncomfortable placing residential uses adjacent to industrial operations, arguing a 25-foot buffer would be insufficient, and said, "you don't put residential housing next to a solar farm and next to manufacturing ... you sure don't do it ... with a 25 foot buffer. That's insane." County staff responded that plan materials show about a 75-foot total buffer from lots to the industrial building and that the private partner has expressed support for NextGen housing to serve its workforce.
Traffic and access emerged as additional concerns: county staff acknowledged the need for a transportation study and said the South area would require a traffic impact analysis focused on the Indiana/Highway 33 intersection. Staff also flagged utility and stormwater capacity analyses as required next steps.
On the procedural side, the commission voted to direct staff to schedule public hearings on Comprehensive Plan Amendment #45 and related zoning/PUD overlay requests; staff said the earliest feasible hearing date would be in April, to accommodate required notice periods.
County staff emphasized that many details are conceptual and would come back for engineering, utility analysis, development agreements and formal platting; commissioners asked the county to share the public comment record and to provide additional buffering and traffic analysis before the hearings.
Next steps: schedule public hearings, conduct transportation and utility studies, prepare development and subdivision agreements and refine buffering and landscaping details based on public input.
