Plan Commission approves site plan for 200‑unit 'Enclave' and recommends council approve conditional uses and a height exception

The Verona Plan Commission on July 6 approved a site plan and recommended that the Common Council approve related conditional‑use permits for a 200‑unit apartment complex known as the Enclave (Midtown) located south of Morningside Boulevard.

Staff presented the three‑building proposal — 200 units with below‑grade and surface parking, a clubhouse, pool and a proposed pickleball court — and said rooftop solar has been proposed to offset lot‑coverage limits. The applicant asked for two conditional uses: (1) to allow apartment/multifamily use in the urban residential district and (2) to exceed the 35‑foot maximum height; staff noted similar height exceptions have been granted for other recent developments and recommended approval subject to conditions listed in the packet.

During the hearing some neighbors and public commenters urged stronger affordability measures (for example, time‑limited below‑market units) and better screening between the project and adjacent homes. Commissioners noted that Wisconsin law preempts inclusionary zoning — meaning the city cannot require set‑aside affordable units as a condition — so their primary levers are negotiations in a development agreement and incentives where legally permitted. Commissioners asked staff to continue discussions with the applicant about zero‑entry units, EV conduit in parking, additional landscaping, and potential trail connections to the open space / kettle to the south.

Motion outcomes: - The commission voted to approve the site plan for the 200‑unit apartment complex with the four conditions listed in the staff packet. (Voice vote: aye.) - The commission recommended the Common Council approve the conditional‑use permit for the apartment/condominium land‑use, conditioned on execution of a development agreement and a requirement that construction start (or an extension be requested) within 365 days of council approval. - The commission also recommended the Common Council grant a conditional‑use exception to allow building heights of approximately 47 feet (about 12 feet over the 35‑foot limit), with the same development‑agreement and timeline conditions.

Staff emphasized that the approvals recommended to the council rely on a development agreement to set implementation triggers (for utilities, stormwater and trail construction). Commissioners likewise underscored that phase‑2 utilities in neighboring Whispering Cove must be addressed before construction funds or final building permits can be cleared; staff confirmed such infrastructure timing and stormwater sequencing are matters addressed in development agreements and the project’s conditions.

The recommendations will go to the Common Council for final action; staff said the applicant must execute the development agreement and begin construction within the specified timeframe or seek an extension as described in the zoning ordinance.