Lakeside Development’s 16‑home concept wins cautious support; contamination review required

Cedarburg planners and commissioners gave a generally favorable conceptual reception on Jan. 5 to a proposal from Lakeside Development to replace a 3.04‑acre industrial parcel with a 16‑home, front‑porch single‑family neighborhood, but they left key questions—most importantly environmental safety and detailed platting—unresolved.

Mary (city planner) summarized the concept: eight homes would front Madison Avenue and eight would front St. John, with attached garages accessed by a rear 20‑foot private alley. Preliminary calculations in the packet showed proposed lots in the neighborhood of 7,900 sq. ft. (the required RS‑5 minimum is 8,400), and the applicant had proposed that lots be measured to the centerline of the alley; Mary and several commissioners said they prefer the city not count alley right‑of‑way as private homeowners’ lot area and suggested treating the alley as an outlot for calculations.

Commissioners and residents focused heavily on environmental uncertainty. Mary said the site will require investigation and that "the DNR and the EPA both give it a clean bill of health for development into residential use" would be an expected outcome before the city allows residential building; she also said the city will not underwrite cleanup. A nearby resident, Victoria Benson Hora, recounted past area cleanup experience and cautioned that contamination may persist: she recalled a DNR representative telling neighbors, "if you're gonna plant a garden, don't do it in ground. Do it above ground." Residents also raised parking and traffic questions about Madison and Cleveland intersections.

Tom Zapcheck, president of Lakeside Development, asked for clearer direction so the firm could decide whether to invest in demolition and environmental studies: "It would be nice to say...something a little bit more definitive than, 'hey, it looks great,' " he said.

Commissioners who supported the concept praised the alley configuration and the front‑porch character as consistent with smart‑growth goals; others asked the applicant to return with a preliminary plat, a clear environmental‑investigation plan and engineered stormwater solutions. Mary advised the developer that formal council review typically requires an approved preliminary plat and that mailed public notices will follow when the item reaches a formal hearing stage.

Next steps: Lakeside may prepare a preliminary plat and the environmental reports the commission requested; the city expects DNR/EPA review to confirm remediation or monitoring needs before building permits would be issued.