(Published Tuesday, June 19, 2007 11:37:10 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Chris Schultz Gazette staff
LAKE GENEVA-A spa, winery, vineyard and 882 living units are at the heart of a new development proposal for 710 vacant acres on the city's south side.
If approved, the development could add 3,000 people to Lake Geneva's population.
The proposal from developers Bob Hummel of Lake Forest, Ill., and Gary Dower of Skaneateles, N.Y., met with skepticism at the Lake Geneva Plan Commission meeting Monday.
Hummel owns the property.
After years of controversy, the land was annexed into the city in January 2005. The city council's rationale at the time was that it could guide the development once it was inside city limits.
In April 2006, the city plan commission blocked Hummel's request to rezone the land for a 1,040-home subdivision. Residents of the city and the neighboring town of Linn had argued that the development was too big.
The new proposal calls for a 100-room spa occupying about 54 acres on the northwest side of the property, closest to Geneva Lake. The vineyard and winery would be south of that.
Most of the residential development would be in the southern and central sections of the property. The 882 living units would be divided among single-family homes, duplexes, row houses, and town houses.
About 596 acres would be developed with 382 acres of hedgerows, wetlands and groves kept as open space.
Development would be phased in over 15 to 20 years, said John Terrell, a spokesman for Mirbeau.
Plan commission member Don Rutkowski peppered the developers with questions Monday night.
-- How would adding 3,000 people to Lake Geneva's population of 7,150 affect the city's small town nature?
-- Can the city's water and sewer support the development?
-- Have impact studies been done?
-- Would any costs be passed on to Lake Geneva taxpayers?
The developers said they haven't done impact studies, but they plan to.
Engineer Doug Moushel, representing the developers, said he was assured that Lake Geneva has enough water and sewer capacity for the project, but water and sewer mains would have to be extended over land that is not in the city.
"If this operated in a vacuum, this would be a beautiful plan," said Alderman Gary Dunham, the commission's city council representative.
But the commission must consider the development's impact on the city, neighboring town of Linn and Geneva Lake, he said.
Dunham appealed to city and town residents to send their comments about the proposal to plan commissioners, aldermen and local newspapers.
"This is the type of development that can make or break a city," he said.
The proposal on Monday was only preliminary.
Hummel and Mirbeau will be asking for planned unit development zoning. Planned developments require developers to work closely with the city in putting together a project, and construction must adhere exactly to the approved final plan.
Dower still is looking at the Geneva Lake area as a location for one of his high-end spas. Last year he was in Williams Bay, proposing one of his "boutique inns" for the Yerkes Observatory property, owned by the University of Chicago.
The plan met with overwhelming opposition from Williams Bay residents, and a university study group is now rethinking use of the observatory land.
