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Developer proposes denser Springs at Meadowbrook plan; neighbors warn of traffic, blasting and lost buffers
Summary
Viridian Homes presented a concept to increase lot counts and add carriage-lane homes at the Springs at Meadowbrook; neighbors and commissioners raised concerns about increased density, outdated traffic analysis, potential blasting for basements because of bedrock, and incomplete mailed notices; the commission will revisit the consultation in December.
Veridian Homes on Wednesday presented a consultation concept to the Waukesha Plan Commission to redesign the Springs at Meadowbrook neighborhood with a mix of narrower carriage-lane lots and additional single-family units intended to lower new-home prices.
Ben Lane of Veridian Homes and planner Brian Munson outlined a concept that would add narrower interior lots and a private alley to support rear garages, increasing the conceptual lot count from the previously approved 54 lots to as many as the low 80s in the developer’s early drawings. The developers said the carriage-lane configuration allows smaller lots to be built with comparable three-bedroom homes and could lower the average proposed sale price to roughly $543,000, with some base plans as low as about $460,000.
Neighbors from the adjacent Tallgrass subdivision questioned those trade-offs. Stuart O., speaking for the Tallgrass homeowners association, said residents were sold on the 54-lot plan and are concerned the higher lot count will increase traffic on Summit Avenue, and that recent and proposed development in the corridor could compound congestion. Several residents raised safety worries tied to bedrock on parts of the site and said blasting needed for basements could damage existing foundations; developers replied they expect any required blasting would be concentrated and done during initial infrastructure work rather than intermittently over years. Multiple residents also said they received empty envelopes from the city and reported limited notice of tonight’s meeting.
Commissioners recommended preserving wider lots along the north and east edges adjacent to existing single-family neighborhoods while remaining open to narrower carriage-lane lots in the interior. Commissioners asked whether alleys would become private (staff said the city’s public works is unlikely to accept alley maintenance and that a homeowner association model was likely), pressed the developer about whether removing basements could materially lower prices, and asked staff to return the item to the December agenda so three absent commissioners can participate.
Next steps: The item remains a consultation; the commission will continue the discussion at its December meeting to give residents and the missing commissioners more opportunity to review and comment.
