Student-geared apartments get thumbs-down
Safety concerns raised by Planning Comission
McLean Bennett
Issue date: 9/10/09 Section: Campus News
Story posted: 10:20 p.m. 9-15-09
Plans to construct a seven-story apartment building near the entrance to Carson Park didn't pass the Eau Claire Planning Commission's muster Monday night.
The commission voted to reject recommending that land near the park's entrance off of Menomonie Street be rezoned to allow for construction of a 104-bedroom apartment structure. The proposed building would cater mainly to college students, said Dan Young, owner of Young Engineering, the company that designed the project.
The land, located east of Carson Park Drive and north of Menomonie Street, is adjacent to bike and pedestrian trails and Carson Park, and also abuts the Dairy Queen at 1160 Menomonie St. The property is currently zoned for commercial use, and project proponents requested it be rezoned for residential use.
The building would include 26 four-bedroom apartments, a housing office and a community center with a kitchen, according to a report that was given to the Planning Commission Monday by the city's Community Development Department.
Planning Commission members cited a number of problems with the proposal.
"The sheer mass of the project just doesn't fit," said commission member Rick Kaiser. "This project just is so contrary to many aspects of our Comprehensive Plan that it would be hard for us to justify approving it."
The Comprehensive Plan establishes policies and priorities regarding housing and other types of development in Eau Claire, according to the city's Web site.
Commission member Dave FitzGerald said that such a dense housing project should be located somewhere else in the city. He also said he doubted students would be willing to travel so far to get to the UW-Eau Claire campus.
"I don't think this is the spot to do a seven-story building," FitzGerald said.
Concerns were raised over the ability of fire and emergency vehicles to access all four sides of the building, according to the Community Development Department report. Parking spaces in front of the building also would prevent fire-ladder access to part of the building, according to the report.
Plans to construct a seven-story apartment building near the entrance to Carson Park didn't pass the Eau Claire Planning Commission's muster Monday night.
The commission voted to reject recommending that land near the park's entrance off of Menomonie Street be rezoned to allow for construction of a 104-bedroom apartment structure. The proposed building would cater mainly to college students, said Dan Young, owner of Young Engineering, the company that designed the project.
The land, located east of Carson Park Drive and north of Menomonie Street, is adjacent to bike and pedestrian trails and Carson Park, and also abuts the Dairy Queen at 1160 Menomonie St. The property is currently zoned for commercial use, and project proponents requested it be rezoned for residential use.
The building would include 26 four-bedroom apartments, a housing office and a community center with a kitchen, according to a report that was given to the Planning Commission Monday by the city's Community Development Department.
Planning Commission members cited a number of problems with the proposal.
"The sheer mass of the project just doesn't fit," said commission member Rick Kaiser. "This project just is so contrary to many aspects of our Comprehensive Plan that it would be hard for us to justify approving it."
The Comprehensive Plan establishes policies and priorities regarding housing and other types of development in Eau Claire, according to the city's Web site.
Commission member Dave FitzGerald said that such a dense housing project should be located somewhere else in the city. He also said he doubted students would be willing to travel so far to get to the UW-Eau Claire campus.
"I don't think this is the spot to do a seven-story building," FitzGerald said.
Concerns were raised over the ability of fire and emergency vehicles to access all four sides of the building, according to the Community Development Department report. Parking spaces in front of the building also would prevent fire-ladder access to part of the building, according to the report.
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