By LISA SINK
[email protected]Posted: Nov. 6, 2006
Town of Brookfield - The Town Board tonight will consider imposing a temporary ban on redevelopment of land between I-94 and Blue Mound Road to prepare and adopt a master plan for land use and transportation.
The length of the moratorium was not known Monday. Town Administrator Rick Czopp said he likely would recommend a six-month moratorium that could be extended if necessary.
Earlier this year, the Town Board hired a Madison engineering consultant, Vierbicher Associates Inc., to prepare a master plan. That plan will be refined with input from area landowners before the Town Board adopts it.
Vierbicher will present its draft plan at a joint meeting of the Town Board and Plan Commission Nov. 20. The town plans to invite all of about two dozen property owners within the study area to the presentation.
The study's cost is estimated at $20,000, which will be split between town funds and a planning grant the town received.
Among Vierbicher's biggest recommended changes: eliminate manufacturing and replace it with a mix of retail, office and multifamily residential development. There also is a proposal for one "large-scale retail" area immediately north of the interstate and west of Janacek Road. Manufacturing buildings currently operate there.
The draft plan also recommends that traffic flow be improved by building a new frontage road along Blue Mound Road west of Menards. Also recommended is construction of a long access road running along the north side of I-94 from near West Point theater to west of Janacek Road.
Town Building Inspector Gary Lake said that the Marcus Corp. theater and Menards store were built in 1987.
"This is the vision for the next 20 years, and we've got to do it right," Lake said.
Menards had negotiated with town officials to substantially expand its store by buying the theater property when Marcus closes it to open a new 17-screen theater on Springdale Road in the town. But Menards did not favor the frontage road along I-94 on the store's property and has since taken its expansion plans to Waukesha.
Czopp stressed that the town wants to develop a master plan that will be one existing landowners can embrace. The town will hold future meetings with landowners to get feedback and direction, he said.
Although the plan calls for more retail uses south of Blue Mound Road, the consultant did warn in its report that "many retail categories are already over-supplied" in the Brookfield area.
The plan also calls for better architectural design standards and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and paths.
From the Nov. 7, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Link: JS Online:.
Comments