Plan Commission recommends 49‑unit downtown apartment project after developer says financing in place

The Plan Commission on May 19 recommended approval of a conditional use permit and associated project review for a 49‑unit apartment conversion and new building at 913 and 923 South Main Street.

Staff described prior CUP approvals for the site (2018, 2022, 2025) and explained the proposal would convert an existing three‑story building and remove a one‑story office/garage to construct a new three‑story apartment building. The application includes site‑plan elements such as 49 required tenant parking stalls within 1,000 feet, landscaping and buffer yards, and compliance with Central Mixed Use (CMU) district design standards.

Todd Hutchison of Wisconsin Redevelopment, who identified himself as the applicant’s representative and a local resident, told commissioners the project’s financing and contractor are largely in place and said the team expects to close construction financing in July and begin construction in July or August with an estimated 13‑month build period. “We have all of our financing pretty much in place... We plan on closing construction financing in July and then hopefully starting construction in July or August,” Hutchison said.

Deputy Mayor Bulow voiced support for the project and said that putting “adaptive reuse and housing in the same sentence” attracts his attention, and other commissioners praised the proposal while asking technical questions about grants, TIF and parking logistics. Architect Wes Bryce, presenting design details, said the addition is intended to complement existing masonry buildings while using contemporary materials to distinguish the new work: “We really felt that the addition should stand alone by itself, still complement the existing historic buildings,” he said.

Staff recommended approval of the CUP and project review with standard conditions for final site‑plan, landscaping and stormwater compliance. The commission voted to recommend approval (7–0).