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Greendale board adopts 'Emerald Reserve' master plan and design guidelines for Southridge area
Summary
The Village Board approved a comprehensive plan amendment and accompanying design standards to rebrand and guide redevelopment of the Southridge Mall area as the Emerald Reserve, voting unanimously after public hearings and consultant presentations about connectivity and development scenarios.
The Greendale Village Board on May 19 voted unanimously to adopt a comprehensive plan amendment that adds the Emerald Reserve master plan to the village comprehensive plan and to incorporate Emerald Reserve design guidelines into the municipal code.
The action follows a multi-month planning process with consultant RINCA and repeated public engagement. Staff said the master plan offers flexible redevelopment scenarios for the Southridge Mall area and will replace references to the "Southridge Mall, 76th Street Corridor" in the plan appendix with the Emerald Reserve plan. RINCA consultant Eric Main answered trustee questions about connectivity, bicycle infrastructure and frontage treatments and confirmed property owners participated in steering committee meetings.
Resident Joe Russ criticized the new "Emerald Reserve" name and questioned use of TIF dollars for branding, calling the name "horrid." Trustees and staff responded that the branding reflected community input from outreach at a safety-center meeting and that property owners were informed and engaged. Staff also said the master plan has already proved useful in preliminary outreach to prospective buyers after the mall was listed for sale.
The separate design-guidelines ordinance, also adopted, integrates building placement, street-edge relationships, parking and loading, landscaping, lighting, facade character and sign standards into site plan and sign-permit review for projects in the Emerald Reserve boundaries. Trustees asked and staff confirmed that the guidelines will be revisited by future boards and can be amended through the planning commission and village board process.
The board adopted the comprehensive plan amendment and the Chapter 17 code amendment by roll call vote; no dissents were recorded. The documents will be attached to the village comprehensive plan and used as a reference when reviewing development proposals in the Emerald Reserve study area.
