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Plan commission approves Bell Farm amendment to site lap pool on four parcels
Summary
The Middleton Plan Commission approved an amendment to the Bell Farm General Development Plan to place a two‑lane lap pool on four parcels, after a developer presentation describing geothermal heating, solar power and buffers from single‑family homes and one emailed objection citing concerns about noise and traffic.
The Middleton Plan Commission voted July 14 to approve an amendment to the Bell Farm General Development Plan to allow active outdoor recreation — specifically a two‑lane lap pool — on four parcels within the development.
Kathleen Slattery Moscow, the Bell Farm developer, introduced the proposal and described the pool as "peaceful and serene," intended to support residents' physical and mental health. She said the pool would be heated by geothermal systems and that solar panels on a cabana roof would power the heat pumps. Slattery Moscow said the pool area was designed to be "nestled into nature" with deep‑rooted native plantings that would provide stormwater and habitat benefits and create a buffer between the pool and single‑family homes.
Staff read an emailed comment from Brad Lystad, which staff entered into the record. According to that comment, Lystad — a resident who identified himself in the email as the owner of Lot 43 in Bell Farm — said moving the apartment pool into the single‑family area would add noise and traffic and would change how the neighborhood had been marketed as a "quiet, serene, pedestrian‑friendly community." Daphne (planning staff) confirmed the email had been forwarded to commissioners and placed in the packet.
Commissioners asked for practical details about the pool and schedule. Slattery Moscow said the pool is intended primarily for adults, with limited child swim times once or twice per week, and that construction could begin either this fall or next spring with the pool open by the following summer. Commissioners also discussed how four units from an originally proposed eight‑unit attached building would be repurposed for the pool and that those units might be absorbed into future phases.
After discussion, the commission approved staff's recommended findings of fact and the GDP amendment to allow active outdoor recreation on the four lots. The chair announced the motion carried by voice vote. The commission noted that a subsequent Site Improvement Permit (SIP) for the pool — covering landscaping, elevations and other final details — will be required before construction begins.
