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Conceptual Drawings Introduced for West Waterfront Housing

The Oshkosh-based developer designing a 53-unit, four-story apartment building for the West Waterfront in Sturgeon Bay revealed conceptual plans last week to the Sturgeon Bay Plan Commission.

The commissioners gave Northpointe Development feedback on the plans and agreed to shorten the process by combining the preliminary and final Planned Unit Development (PUD) procedures.

“It doesn’t eliminate any requirements; it just compresses the timeline,” said Marty Olejniczak, Sturgeon Bay’s community development director.

The project is being processed as a PUD because PUDs are not subject to standard zoning requirements, and certain aspects of this housing project – such as building height and density of apartment units – wouldn’t meet the city’s zoning code. The building would be taller than the 45-foot height allowed by city zoning, for example, which is taller than the Bay Lofts apartment building on North Madison Avenue, Olejniczak said.

Those elevations were not part of the Feb. 17 conceptual design review, but they will be introduced as the next step, according to developer Andy Dumke. One public hearing will also be held during the PUD process.

The proposal for the one- and two-bedroom building includes both suspended and recessed balconies and a community-room deck on the fourth floor.

The lot is not quite one acre in size, so the biggest challenge, Dumke said, has been fitting in the 53 units while maximizing views. The resulting architecture looks somewhat like a boomerang. The commissioners said they liked the non-boxy shape.

The developer has sited 44 parking stalls underground and 11 on the surface, but a one-to-one unit-to-parking-stall ratio isn’t enough, said Christopher Robinson-Sullivan, city planner and zoning administrator. Options for additional parking may include another 46 public stalls and 12 leased from a neighbor.

This new apartment building, the upcoming granary project and the potential for future development at an adjacent site will increase demand for parking, Olejniczak said.

“Parking is going to be needed, but it will have to be public, first-come, first-served,” Olejniczak said. “Residents might not find parking on busy days, but the rest of the time, they will.”

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