GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — The City of Green Bay is planning to turn 168 acres of mostly vacant land into one of its newest subdivisions, but neighbors tell me the plans in place have created big concern.
- Video shows drone footage of 168 acres of land in the Red Smith Neighborhood
- 369 units are proposed for the area which includes single-family, two-family homes, apartments and commercial space
- Concerns among neighbors range from increased traffic, unresolved storm water and water pressure operations and Red Smith K-8 school capacity
- The proposal received unanimous approval from the city's Plan Commission on Monday
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Gary Fifarek moved to the Red Smith area and built his home here 26 years ago.
"I intentionally went to planners at City Hall back in 1999 to see what this area layout was going to look like," Fifarek said. "I wanted to see where the roads were going to lay, where the school was going to be built."
Those plans, he said, indicated more growth through single-family and two-family homes, but now, the city's proposal for a new subdivision is creating concern among neighbors.
At Monday's Plan Commission meeting, plans were discussed to cover a168-acre area with 396 residential units, featuring single-family, two-family homes and apartments, plus space for commercial use.
Those plans would eventually receive unanimous approval from the commission.
"It's a large area and we're going to have to plan and develop it or we're going to let it sit," District 2 Alderperson, Jim Hutchison, said.
At the meeting, dozens of neighbors stepped forward to express their concerns: from increased traffic to unresolved storm water and water pressure operations.
"This area is currently zoned for R-1, which is single-family or two-family dwelling, but for the most part it's the fact that the design shows higher-density (living) with apartment buildings in an area that it wasn't planned for," District 1 Alderperson, Jennifer Grant, said.
Grant said concerns over Red Smith Elementary reaching full capacity due to increased residency is also a concern.
However, developers said attendance is projected to trend downwards in the next ten years, according to the Green Bay School District.
"We also have to respect the voices of residents that are here and pay taxes and put a big investment into our community," Grant said.
Originally, the plan for the area was to add between 600 and 1,200 units, but surrounding wetland areas left developers downsizing the amount of units.
"Concentrating only one use in one area is generally very poor practice," the city's principal planner, David Buck, said in the meeting. "It's less vibrant, less diverse and also much more susceptible to market trends and market changes. It also doesn't provide for continuum care of life."
Fifarek said only expecting additional single-family homes has now led to confusion.
"It's almost like a bait-and-switch and getting stabbed in the back," Fifarek said. "People invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into these homes. Do they want to encourage more single-family home usage or do they want transient renters?"
The proposal will need two city council approvals, with its first reading taking place at the next council meeting on Tuesday.
Developers said if approved, construction will be expected to last in the area for eight to 10 years.
