A proposed $59 million apartment project near Konkel Park in Greenfield gets mixed reviews from the city's plan commission

Greenfield Plan Commission members have given mixed reviews to a proposed $59 million apartment project near Konkel Park.

The development, proposed by Milwaukee-based Ogden & Co., would be at the former site of River Falls Family Fun Center, which announced its closure in early May.

On Tuesday, the commission recommended, 5-2, rezoning the property to a planned unit development district, Greenfield Community Development Manager Kristi Porter said.

But on a 4-3 vote, commissioners recommended denial of the site, landscaping and architectural plans for Verde Terrace Apartments, a two-building, 257-unit multi-family housing development proposed for 5401 W. Layton Ave.

Mayor Michael Neitzke and David Schilz were the commissioners who voted against the rezoning.

Neitzke and Schilz were joined by Brian Weis and Robert Krenz in voting no to the site, landscaping and architectural plans.

Neitzke said it's the wrong place for that scale of development.

"It overwhelms the site, with the highest density per acre of any multi-family in the city," Neitzke said in an email. "It completely covers the 5 acres."

Neitzke said the city has worked hard to create a city center and community gathering space, and Konkel Park is relaxed, open, green and embraced by the community.

"Building the highest density apartment complex in the city next to our jewel of a park, with a tremendous shortage of parking to boot, makes no land use planning sense," he said.

The development is required to provide 558 spaces, and provided 465, according to city documents, a shortage of 93 off-street parking spaces.

A city staff-prepared report notes that the city’s zoning code was written in 1998 and does not meet today's parking standards.

"Staff does not foresee a parking issue for the property and is confident that Ogden is well-versed in parking demand based off of the 3,000+ units that they manage," the report said.

As for the design of the development, Porter said the commissioners' feedback was general in nature.

"It was like, I'm not a fan of the design," she said. "It wasn't real detailed."

Porter said one specific comment came from Commissioner Karl Kastner, the District 3 alderman, who said he'd like to see eyebrows above the windows on the buildings.

"That was the only detailed suggestion that was blatantly provided to (Ogden)," she said. "It was a pretty general overall consensus that we're not enthused about the overall design of these buildings."

Neitzke's feedback on the design had more to do with the where than the what.

"As for its looks, I’m no expert on that," he said. "It would look great almost anywhere else in the city other than next to Konkel Park."

The commission's vote is a recommendation; the common council will have the final say. A vote and public hearing are scheduled for Aug. 16.

Ogden teamed with Korb + Associates Architects for the building and site design.

The plan commission provided feedback to Ogden's conceptual plan May 10.

The market-rate development would consist of two U-shaped, four-story buildings with about 205,000 square feet of living space, according to city documents.

There would be a mix of studio, one-bedroom, one-bedroom plus den, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units.

The smaller, western building would contain 114 units. The larger, eastern building would house 143 units. The buildings would include courtyards that would house a pool, outdoor grilling stations, poolside cabanas and fire pits.

"Verde" means "green" in Spanish and other languages, and the project proposes to incorporate many natural green elements into its design, including green spaces, nature paths and a green color within the buildings' façades.

As a nod to the River Falls Family Fun Center, the developers plan to offer a substantial package of amenities to draw in quality tenants to ensure that they can work, live and play in the space.

Amenities would include a pool, pickleball courts, a dog run area, outdoor grilling stations, poolside cabanas, firepits incorporated into the green spaces, golf simulators, and private workspaces for tenants to use.

Contact Bob Dohr at 262-361-9140 or bob.dohr@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BobDohr1.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Planned $59 million apartment project in Greenfield gets mixed reviews