Plan Commission approves land-use, zoning and PUD to enable 72.3-acre West Bend mixed-residential project

The West Bend City Plan Commission on April 9 approved a trio of measures that clear the way for a 72.3-acre mixed residential subdivision at the southeast corner of South Main Street and West Rusco Drive.

The commission voted to endorse Comprehensive Plan Amendment No. 45, to rezone the property from RS4 single-family and wetland districts to a mix of RS4, RD2 (two-family) and RM4 (multifamily), and to adopt a Planned Unit Development (PUD) overlay that grants several site-design exceptions in exchange for developer commitments. The approvals send the files toward the Common Council and a developer PUD agreement that staff said will be finalized with attorneys and could appear before council "potentially" on May 20 if wording is completed.

Why it matters: staff and the developer said the changes are intended to support Washington CountyNextGen housing goals while using funding from TID No. 18, created in August 2025, to pay for infrastructure improvements. "The tax increment financing district does have funding in that project plan to improve Rusco Road as well as the intersection of River Road and Rusco," a city staff member told the commission, saying the TID could pay for a full reconstruction of Rusco Road and a roundabout at River Road and Rusco in the portion inside the district.

Program and design details: city staff described how the Washington County NextGen program ties price-point limits to incentives. According to staff, the county offers developers a short-term $20,000 loan intended to help begin construction and will contribute up to $6,000 toward municipal permitting costs for qualifying units; qualifying units must meet specified price bands (referred to in staff remarks as approximately $340,000, $360,000 or $420,000 price points). The developer also agreed to provide private parks, walking trails and protected green-space outlots that staff said would preserve wetlands and keep environmentally sensitive areas in common ownership.

Public reaction and commission discussion: several nearby residents urged the commission to reject or narrow the multifamily portion. "This parcel is better suited to single-family housing," resident Ryan Kirkpatre told the commission, asking members to deny Amendment No. 45. Neighbor John Olinger, who said his 93-year-old mother lives adjacent to the site, raised questions about lot spacing, access points and Rusco Road sightlines.

The developer and staff responded with explanations of the NextGen program eligibility requirements and traffic planning steps: a traffic-impact analysis is expected as part of subsequent approvals and will be reviewed by the city engineer; the county controls the intersection on Highway P, staff said, so improvements there will require county coordination. Developer Scott Simon told the commission the mixed zoning creates a buffer from the industrial lands to the east and that the developer expects to use zero lot lines and shared-wall construction in some units with separate ownership mechanisms to achieve multiple price points without creating rental stock.

Votes and next steps: the commission voted in favor of the comprehensive plan amendment, the zoning map amendment and the PUD overlay by voice vote. Staff said a draft PUD agreement has been prepared and will be refined by attorneys; final approval of the PUD agreement and zoning action will rest with the Common Council. The commissionrecord indicates the matter will move forward to council review and the developer will return with subdivision plats, final engineering and any remaining permit-level approvals.