By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
ASHWAUBENON – A planned unit development (PUD) to construct nine single-family rental homes on a vacant lot at the intersection of Pilgrim Way and South Ridge Road was recommended Tuesday, July 7, by both the village’s Site Plan Review Committee and Plan Commission.
Community Development Director Aaron Schuette said the PUD for what will be called the Pilgrim Way Townhomes includes a layout with four units along South Ridge and five along Pilgrim Way.
Schuette said the developer will be responsible for the maintenance on both the units and the property.
“This will be a private drive,” he said. “The village is not be responsible for garbage pickup, recycling pickups, snow plowing (and) maintenance.”
Schuette said the long-term rental homes will have three bedrooms and two bathrooms with a two-stall attached garage.
He said the external building materials for the approximately 1,400-square-foot houses will include board and batten siding on the front with vinyl lap siding on the sides and back.
Schuette said a neighborhood meeting about the proposed rental houses was held in early spring when there was no opposition to the project from those in attendance.
“These are individually rented homes,” he said. “They’re basically single-family homes…”
Erik Goerke, the developer, said the project has a low profit margin with the planned external building materials.
“Unfortunately, the budget is very tight, as you might image, because we’re building nine single-family homes,” he said. “There’s a reason, typically, apartments or even townhomes share walls to keep costs down. So it would be very difficult to add masonry, if not impossible, given how tight the budget already is.”
Goerke said the homes “are going to look brand new and look brand new for a long time.”
“In terms of fitting into the community, I think these will actually be not be an eyesore, but rather a very attractive addition,” he said.
Trustee Ken Bukowski, who cast the lone dissenting vote on the commission, said he favored adding brick to the front of the homes as a condition of the PUD.
“I’m not suggesting we beat them over the head with that,” he said. “But boy I tell you, that one picture I’m looking at, which is a colored photo and it shows the front of these individual homes… that doesn’t look good to me at all.”
However, because they are single-family rental homes, Schuette said they village doesn’t have a design review process.
“If this is an eight-unit apartment complex, then we would,” he said. “But in terms of external materials, for single-family homes, we don’t.”
Schuette said adding brick would add cost to the project estimated by a committee member at $4,000 per house.
“What you have to do is add a brick ledge to the foundation for the brick to lay upon, which of course adds cost,” he said.
Schuette said the landscaping would improve the appearance in front of the homes.
“Obviously, the developer is trying to control costs on this project to the village’s benefit,” he said. “Obviously, there’s no village incentive involved here. It’s a strictly developer-driven project. I think it’s a good project.”
Village President Mary Kardoskee said she doesn’t believe the homes will be visible from Interstate 41 because of the height of the sound wall.
Schuette said the PUD will have a public hearing July 28 before the village board.