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Plan commission approves Inspire Prairie Springs master plan despite neighbors' concerns about hunt-club noise and wetlands
Summary
The Pleasant Prairie Plan Commission approved a master conceptual plan and companion comprehensive-plan amendment for the 710‑unit Inspire Prairie Springs apartment development, with commissioners asking developers and staff to address neighbor concerns about buffers, hunting‑range noise and wetland protections.
The Pleasant Prairie Plan Commission on Oct. 7 approved a master conceptual plan for the Inspire Prairie Springs development and a related comprehensive-plan amendment, clearing the way for a phased, two‑phase apartment project of roughly 710 units with construction slated to begin in spring 2025 and completion through 2028.
Staff described the project as a multi‑phase development on about 66.2 acres within the northern portion of a larger parcel in TID 11, including an extension of 116th Avenue that will require state and federal approvals (Wisconsin DNR, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA). Staff said approximately 131.9 acres of the larger property would be preserved in a primary environmental corridor, and that roughly 0.72 acres of wetlands would be filled to accommodate the 116th Avenue crossing, with compensatory storage and wetland‑bank credits proposed to mitigate impacts. The commission approved the master plan with the conditions and comments outlined by staff and the commission.
Neighbors and conservation interests supported development in principle but asked the commission to build safeguards. Will Warren, who said he represents Halter Wildlife nearby, urged stronger measures and suggested tenants be told that an adjacent hunt club operates nearby, raising safety and noise concerns. "Something maybe even as simple as the prospective tenants being told that there is a hunt club next door... you're gonna hear gunshot noise every day," Warren said. Jeff Davison, attorney for the Des Plaines Wetlands Conservancy, said his client did not object to the development but asked for protections to prevent intrusions into conserved lands and to preserve the site's stormwater function.
Developers said they were willing to meet with neighbors and to consider mitigation. Rob Bond of Bond Companies described the project as a market‑rate multifamily community with clubhouses, pools, a dog wash and other amenities and said the company plans to begin construction in spring 2025. Bond said the team would discuss noise‑mitigation options and buffers, while the civil engineer for the applicants said the project will add detention volume so there is no net loss of stormwater storage on the site.
Commissioners also asked staff to draft a development agreement and a TID term sheet; staff said a draft would be available for review within one to two months, and the commission requested a simple plat map showing property lines and distances between the project and neighboring lands. The commission approved Planning Commission Resolution 24‑17, the comprehensive‑plan amendment, by voice vote at the same meeting.
Next steps include environmental permitting with DNR, Army Corps and FEMA as needed, submission of the certified survey maps (CSMs) and review of the development agreement and any TID assistance by the village board.
