Plan commission forwards Downtown La Crosse River area plan to council with no recommendation after stakeholders urge more outreach

The La Crosse City Plan Commission voted Nov. 3 to forward the Downtown La Crosse River area inventory and redevelopment plan to the next review body (J and A) with no recommendation after a lengthy presentation by city staff and consultants and several public comments urging more stakeholder engagement.

Director Train said the small‑area plan grew from 2020 funding and was paused while the downtown master plan and comprehensive plan were completed. The plan covers an area roughly from the La Crosse River south to just past State Street, encompasses about 20 buildings over roughly 46.5 acres, and functions as an inventory plus conceptual redevelopment strategy rather than an automatic rezoning or commitment to acquire property. “There’s nothing in this plan that says the city is acquiring any property anytime soon or redeveloping any property,” Train said, adding that adoption would give staff a framework to work with property owners if opportunities arise.

Consultants from Studio GWA and Redevelopment Resources showed a concept that would add roughly 11 new mixed‑use buildings in the study area (3–4 stories in the massing images), convert underutilized surface parking to building footprints (surface parking would be reduced in the concept by about 40%), increase building footprints and open space, and identify two potential public market locations. The presentation cited a 2020 parking study that estimated substantial off‑street supply and included an estimated housing yield of about 486 units across eight opportunity sites over a 10‑year horizon; consultants noted estimates depend on market absorption and phasing.

Property owners Sandy and Christine Cleary and other stakeholders said they support downtown investment but found the draft ambiguous and said some stakeholders felt left out of the process. “We feel like this is kind of being rushed,” Sandy Cleary told the commission, and she urged more targeted engagement with owners such as Gunderson, Heshler and Don Weber. Speakers also raised infrastructure concerns, particularly flooding on Front Street and how submerged parking lots would be addressed.

Commissioners debated procedural options—receive and file, adopt, or forward with no recommendation. Commissioner Stein moved to forward the resolution with no recommendation; Commissioner Cherff seconded. The motion passed with two dissenting votes (Commissioner Gallagher and Commissioner Yeager) and the remainder in favor. Director Train and consultants said the plan will include an implementation chapter that recommends semiannual meetings with property owners and steps for coordination, but any rezoning, funding requests, or condemnation would require separate council action.

The commission’s decision forwards the item to J and A and ultimately the city council for further consideration. The commission’s action establishes staff direction to engage with property owners under the plan’s framework but does not itself enact rezoning or public acquisition.