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Plan commission approves Abbey Court PUD amendment to add 40 apartments
Summary
The Onalaska Plan Commission approved an amendment to the Abbey Court Apartments PUD to allow a 40‑unit building and associated code deviations, with staff citing the site's unique layout and 12 conditions of approval. One adjacent property owner spoke neutrally about grading concerns.
The Onalaska Plan Commission on March 24 approved an amendment to the Abbey Court Apartments planned unit development to allow construction of a 40‑unit apartment building and related deviations from the Unified Development Code.
City planning staff summarized that the Abbey Court development — originally approved in 2016 as a multi‑phase project — currently contains about 344 dwelling units and that adding 40 units would raise total units to about 374, representing an approximately 11% increase in overall density. Staff told the commission the site includes six existing apartment buildings, adequate parking and open space, and that the proposed building would occupy an area initially planned for surface parking. "City staff are in support of the request due to the unique property layout," a staff member told the commission.
The application requested deviations including allowance to exceed the maximum street‑yard setback in the R4 district and to exceed the maximum allowed density for an apartment dwelling development. Staff noted that previous PUD approvals granted similar deviations and that four of the six existing buildings already exceed the street‑yard setback requirement. The packet included architectural renderings, a plan set, and a cover letter from the applicant; staff said there are 12 conditions tied to approval.
At the public hearing, nearby property owner Terry Wland identified himself and said he was "fairly neutral" on the proposal but asked about a planned grading change that would lower a hill along their shared lot line. No other members of the public spoke in favor or opposition.
Commissioner Jim Bash moved to approve the PUD amendment and deviations with the 12 conditions; the motion was seconded by an attendee listed as Eric in the record and carried.
The decision was procedural: the commission approved the PUD amendment and tied the approvals to the conditions listed in the staff packet. The record shows the commission closed the public hearing before taking the vote. The applicant must meet the listed conditions before obtaining permits and before any construction begins.
