By Dave Fidlin
Property along one of Whitewater’s most heavily traveled corridors could go from housing a funeral home to an apartment complex appealing to university students.
Developer Ryan Hughes came before the Common Council on June 17 and discussed his plans for Campus Edge, a four-story apartment building at the site of the former Olsen Funeral Home, 1014 W. Main St.
For Hughes’ vision for the property to come to fruition, city officials will need to change zoning from multifamily residential to a planned development designation.
According to preliminary plans, Campus Edge would contain 22 five-bedroom units and could house up to 110 tenants.
“The building will employ under-the-building parking at the basement level, plus a small surface parking lot,” Interim City Planner Michael A. Slavney said. “The building will likely have an urban character, with a strong street presence on this corner lot.”
Other details proposed for the development include small balconies within each unit and the installation of two bathrooms within each five-bedroom unit. Campus Edge is to be constructed primarily of masonry materials.
Whenever possible, Hughes said he is planning to incorporate green enhancements into the development, including features designed to manage stormwater runoff.
“A bioretention basin will be located in the setback area on the west side of the property,” Hughes said. “In addition, clean roof water will be fed directly into the storm sewer, which will avoid collecting any contaminants.”
Hughes also pointed to the parking configuration, with minimal surface lots, as a green-friendly feature. Fifty-six underground parking spaces are included in project plans.
Other amenities touted within Campus Edge include shared kitchen space within each unit, private washer-dryer utilities and tenants’ ready access to garbage disposals and dishwashers.
“On the security side, the property will include common area surveillance cameras to cut down on vandalism, secured entry and full-time, on-site owner management,” Hughes added.
Hughes is in the process of assembling final plans for the development, and they will be presented to the Planning and Architectural Review Commission in July for further deliberation and a possible recommendation to the council.
During the council’s preliminary review of the plans, several concerns were raised, including the density of the development, possible stormwater runoff issues, traffic concerns and pedestrian safety.
“The project is too extreme for a small community like Whitewater,” said resident Jeff Knight, who chairs the Community Development Authority. “If approved, this proposal and subsequent developments will have been treated differently from five other developments in the area.”
But Hughes attempted to counter the argument, saying he has consulted with officials within the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and the development is filling a need within the community. He said Campus Edge is modeled after similar developments in Oshkosh and Platteville.
Hughes’ conceptual plans for Campus Edge are going through a greater degree of scrutiny than most developments within the city.
Citing the “complexity of this project,” council President Patrick Singer said he believed it would be prudent to have preliminary discussion at the council level before members of the Planning and Architectural Review Commission hold their public hearing and get into some of the finite details.
