CEDARBURG, Wis. — Some Cedarburg residents are unhappy with the increasing number of luxury housing developments near the city's historic downtown.
TMJ4 News spoke with Cedarburg resident Peter Eisenhauer, who lives just down the street from one of the newest developments, Fox Run, which was built in 2023.
"A lot of us felt like 'that just got by us,'" Eisenhauer said. "It was shocking how big the development is... Architecturally, it's out of scale with the neighborhood."
Eisenhauser says the developments have already led to increased traffic and overcrowding that threatens to negatively affect the city's signature quaintness and charm.
There have been multiple such developments in the same area, including Arrabelle Apartments near St. Francis Borgia Catholic Church's South location along Washington Avenue. Other projects are also in the works.
Other residents attended public meetings to voice their opposition. One group, Preserve Cedarburg, created both a website and yard signs for interested residents.
TMJ4's new Ozaukee County reporter Alex Gaul spoke to several other neighbors who were more ambivalent about the new projects, chalking it up to the normal cause of city growth.
City leaders say there is a good reason behind the new projects. The properties in question were environmentally contaminated. The idea is to create more foot traffic for local businesses without having taxpayers foot the bill for the environmental cleanup, according to City Administrator Mikko Hilvo.
"Fox Run transformed a blighted, environmentally contaminated site into a vibrant, much-needed housing development that enhances our community," Hilvo said in a statement to TMJ4 News. "The project provides additional housing options, supports local businesses through its walkable location, and contributes to the ongoing vitality of our downtown."
In Fox Run's case, the developer took on the cost of the multi-million dollar cleanup. The city is also helping build the roads through a Tax Incremental District (or TID).
Watch: Residents organize to oppose further housing developments in Cedarburg
It is a strategy the city is looking to replicate with some other properties within its Smart Growth plan. Smart Growth Area 1 (or SGA 1) comprises two parcels of land between downtown's Washington Avenue and Cedarburg High School.
The city originally proposed that the zoning of the land be changed from a "Limited Manufacturing District" to "High-Medium Density Residential" area, to help promote redevelopment.
At a Planning Commission meeting in January, several residents spoke out against the loss of an existing green space if the land is rezoned and, eventually, redeveloped.
The Commission agreed to consider the possibility of maintaining the green space or lowering the residential density to "Medium. They did not finalize the plans for rezoning at January's meeting, citing the need for additional research to be completed.
Jill Becker is a longtime Cedarburg resident who used to work at a school close to SGA 1, First Immanuel Lutheran. She worries the new developments will eventually lead to overcrowded classrooms.
"Too big -- it's too high density for a community like Cedarburg," Becker said. "Overpopulation is going to be really damaging to Cedarburg's historicalness."
TMJ4 News reached out to Fox Run's developer P2 Property Management for comment but did not hear back.
Read the full statement from Cedarburg City Administrator Mikko Hilvo below.
Thank you for reaching out regarding the Fox Run Development. This has been a tremendous project for the City of Cedarburg, addressing a long-standing challenge in the heart of our downtown.
Fox Run transformed a blighted, environmentally contaminated site into a vibrant, much-needed housing development that enhances our community. The project provides additional housing options, supports local businesses through its walkable location, and contributes to the ongoing vitality of our downtown.
A key benefit of this development is that the private developer took on the multi-million-dollar environmental cleanup, a cost that would have otherwise fallen on taxpayers. Additionally, the city received over $1 million in impact fees, which have been instrumental in funding infrastructure improvements and the purchase of new parkland near the development and downtown.
Without this investment, the site would have remained vacant and blighted, potentially impacting surrounding property values. Instead, Fox Run has revitalized the area, turning a challenge into an opportunity for growth and sustainability.
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