Council also gives nod to Harbor Freight Tools in former Shopko building
By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The Delavan Common Council approved two steps in the process for Lake Lawn Resort to build several residential units on the east end of the property called the Harbor Club at Lake Lawn on March 16. The council approved a precise implementation plan and a preliminary plat for the development.
The development will have two parts on either side of the marina. On one side will be 20 multi-unit villas with two units per villa. The other side will include 61 single-family detached homes that will be occupied mainly as second homes. The exteriors of the villas and single-family homes, including yards and landscaping, will be handled by the development’s homeowner’s association to maintain consistency and a resort atmosphere.
The homes will have flexible floor plans, most with bedrooms on the second level and the living space on the lower level. Some will have the option of a master bedroom on the first level. Many of the homes will have second floor balconies that will provide views of the lake. The exterior of the homes will also be less “garage door dominated” as the front of the homes will extend as far as the garages. At the moment, the developers are working hard to find a new supplier of garage doors as a number of properties from their other projects have had complaints of broken or faulty doors that have left them in need of a company like Kings Garage Doors in Lansdale, PA. to repair them. These doors will likely all be matching to ensure every home has similar curb appeal. A storage space for golf carts will also be included as it’s expected many residents will play golf at Lake Lawn. Screened porches and three-season rooms are also available options.
The villas will be 1,850 square feet and have many of the same exterior elevation options as the single-family homes in an effort to make them not look like two identical buildings bolted together. Throughout the development, there are restrictions in place to ensure the homes and villas that are close to each other will look different.
Other restrictions will ensure a resort atmosphere such as not allowing backyard pools or above ground fencing. Anyone who lives in the homes part-time and wants to rent them out when not there will have to do so through Lake Lawn, not on their own or other agencies to ensure consistency.
Improvements to the intersection of Highway 50 and Highway F are also part of the plan as that intersection is where the main entrance to the development will be located. Signal lights and turn lanes will be added and the new entrance to the development will provide a view of the marina. The entry way will be dedicated to the public but the development will maintain it per the development agreement with the city.
More developments
The council approved some other developments as well at its recent meeting.
A conditional use permit was approved that will allow Harbor Freight Tools to open a new location in a portion of the former Shopko building. The store will occupy 20,020 square feet at the end of the building closest to Taco Bell and Geneva Street with its main entrance and parking on that side of the building.
Nathan Berti of F & C Properties, LLC, said a lot has changed in the retail business in the last year. He said his company, which owns the building, originally hoped to find one new tenant for the 55,890 square feet of space, but when that did not materialize the decision to subdivide the space was made. Berti said another tenant will be found to occupy the rest of the building.
The council also approved rezoning 1.80 acres of city-owned property at 919 Ann St., just east of the fire station, and approved a conditional use permit that will allow for a residential multi-family development on the property. Ryan Romboy is the applicant.
The city purchased the property 20 years ago to clean up groundwater contamination from years of use as fueling and fertilizer depots and to eventually redevelop the land.
Read more coverage from the Delavan Common Council meeting in the March 25 Delavan Enterprise.
