A proposed four-story, 118-unit senior facility off Summit Avenue sat at the heart of discussion on Wednesday night at city hall.
Dozens showed up to voice their concerns over plans for the development, which is near the intersection of Meadowbrook Rd. and Summit Ave.
Plan Commission members acknowledged the need for more senior living facilities in the city.
PLANS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION: City of Waukesha - File #: PC24-0556 (legistar.com)
Neighbors had received a letter from the city showing where the proposed development would go.
"It says a rough idea of where it is going to go, and it is going to be 11 units," said Nicole Brylow.
On Wednesday, in the meeting, it was acknowledged that there was a typographical error and the letter should’ve read 118 units, not 11.
WATCH: Waukesha residents speak out against plan for four-story senior living facility
Tukka Properties plans to acquire the parcel, which is about seven acres, from Christ the Life Lutheran Church.
The land sits on a stretch of forest and wetlands, between the Maple Way neighborhood and the church.
The plan would call for Banning Way to connect to the new development as an emergency route. The other entrance or exit would be off Summit Avenue.
“I am personally emotional about it just because it is basically my front yard,” said Jessie Ripplinger, who lives on the current dead end on Banning Way.
She and dozens more spoke out and scrutinized the plan during the meeting.
“I don’t think that it is the correct place for it,” said Ripplinger. “I think that they can find a different area for it.”
Ripplinger launched a petition to stop the development. Her grassroots movement has already garnered 100 signatures.
Scott Burish also spoke at the meeting. He told the Plan Commission and the developer that he’s worried about the movement of wildlife in the area.
“There’s a lot of wildlife,” said Burish. “You look at the Waukesha website, and it says here to protect. Well, what are you protecting if you are letting a big development go onto a wetland?”
He also pointed out concerns over the water drainage into the wetlands and how new developments in the area are already having an impact on his home.
Others are worried about traffic concerns off Summit Avenue and through the Maple Way neighborhood.
“I just want my kids to just be able to go out and play and be kids, not be stuck inside because there is traffic out there,” said Ripplinger.
Just across the street from the planned development, construction crews are working on a gated, luxury apartment complex. Over 100 new residents are expected to start moving in once it’s completed.
Neighbors next door and across the street are already frustrated with the traffic.
At Wednesday’s meeting, many demanded a traffic study for that area.
Members of the plan commission also had the opportunity to speak about the project, critiquing the size and layout of the project and questioning if the church would redesign the parcel to have the facility closer to Summit Avenue and away from the neighborhood.
One member said that it would be good for the city to have more senior living and would benefit the tax space.
Both the mayor and two other members believe that the property will not stay empty for long, citing that Banning Way was designed for expansion and wouldn’t be a dead end forever.
“Something ultimately will be going on this property, and the city itself doesn’t have the ability to say it’s undeveloped,” said Mayor Reilly.
Mayor Reilly also said that the next step would be for the developer to host a meeting with the neighborhood and residents.
The developer was not in attendance on Wednesday night.
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Report a typo or error // Submit a news tipA proposed four-story, 118-unit senior facility off Summit Avenue sat at the heart of discussion on Wednesday night at city hall.
Dozens showed up to voice their concerns over plans for the development, which is near the intersection of Meadowbrook Rd. and Summit Ave.
Plan Commission members acknowledged the need for more senior living facilities in the city.
Neighbors had received a letter from the city showing where the proposed development would go.
"It says a rough idea of where it is going to go, and it is going to be 11 units," said Nicole Brylow.
On Wednesday, in the meeting, it was acknowledged that there was a typographical error and the letter should’ve read 118 units, not 11.
Tukka Properties plans to acquire the parcel, which is about seven acres, from Christ the Life Lutheran Church.
The land sits on a stretch of forest and wetlands, between the Maple Way neighborhood and the church.
The plan would call for Banning Way to connect to the new development as an emergency route. The other entrance or exit would be off Summit Avenue.
“I am personally emotional about it just because it is basically my front yard,” said Jessie Ripplinger, who lives on the current dead end on Banning Way.
She and dozens more spoke out and scrutinized the plan during the meeting.
“I don’t think that it is the correct place for it,” said Ripplinger. “I think that they can find a different area for it.”
Ripplinger launched a petition to stop the development. Her grassroots movement has already garnered 100 signatures.
Scott Burish also spoke at the meeting. He told the Plan Commission and the developer that he’s worried about the movement of wildlife in the area.
“There’s a lot of wildlife,” said Burish. “You look at the Waukesha website, and it says here to protect. Well, what are you protecting if you are letting a big development go onto a wetland?”
Others pointed out traffic concerns off Summit Avenue and through the Maple Way neighborhood.
“I just want my kids to just be able to go out and play and be kids, not be stuck inside because there is traffic out there,” said Ripplinger.
Just across the street from the planned development, construction crews are working on a gated, luxury apartment complex. Over 100 new residents are expected to start moving in once it’s completed.
Neighbors next door and across the street are already frustrated with the traffic. Summit Avenue is a two-lane road.
At Wednesday’s meeting, many demanded a traffic study for that area.
The developer was not in attendance on Wednesday night.
Members of the plan commission also had the opportunity to speak about the project, critiquing the size and layout of the project and questioning if the church would redesign the parcel to have the facility closer to Summit Avenue and away from the neighborhood.
One member said that it would be good for the city to have more senior living and would benefit the tax space.
Both the mayor and two other members believe that the property will not stay empty for long, citing that Banning Way was designed for expansion and wouldn’t be a dead end forever.
“Something ultimately will be going on this property, and the city itself doesn’t have the ability to say it’s undeveloped,” said Mayor Reilly.
Mayor Reilly said that the next step would be for the developer to host a meeting with the neighborhood and residents.
