Developer files plans for South Park Street, neighbors still have concerns

Despite months of community meetings, Park Street community members are still concerned the final plans for a high-density affordable housing development, and the required zoning alterations, will change the neighborhood’s character.

J.T. Klein, Inc. filed the plan with the city for the multi-family affordable housing development at 820 South Park St. on Oct. 7. Several months of meetings with neighborhood residents and multiple iterations of the proposed development whittled down the proposed two large buildings to one.

The final plan, which covers most of the block, includes a 103-unit apartment building with a four- and a five-story wing and seven single-family homes. The apartment building will face Delaplaine Court, Park Street and Haywood Drive. Located along Brooks Street, the seven houses are existing homes that will be updated or moved from different lots.

The plan would require changing the zoning in two portions of the block.

The block is currently zoned for commercial businesses on the side facing Park Street and for single- and multi-unit residential structures on the side facing Brooks Street. J.T. Klein proposes to expand the commercial zoning and to change the zoning on the Brooks Street side to be consistent with that of the nearby Greenbush neighborhood, which carries more stringent rental standards and encourages single-family use.

Some neighborhood residents worry these zoning changes will impact neighborhood’s density and character.

“We are all in favor of affordable housing being built anywhere, and even on that site, if it fits within the current zoning. When you start trying to change the zoning is when we start to get concerned,” said Jason Hagenow, a neighborhood steering committee member.

J.T. Klein, Inc.'s proposed development for 820 Park Street.

Hagenow worries changing the commercial zoning to accommodate a larger structure and more tenants could bring increased traffic, insufficient parking and decreased familiarity among neighbors.

The committee reviewed the final plans on Oct. 5.

“We still believe it’s too big, it’s too much, and we are still in support of doing something that is in line with the current zoning,” Hagenow said.

J.T. Klein owner Jacob Klein said he and the neighbors shared the same goal during planning meetings and that the planning process incorporated neighborhood feedback. They wanted to “freshen up” the houses along Brooks Street while keeping the streetscape similar.

“We did four to five site plan iterations that were all responses to concerns raised by the neighborhood,” he said.

His original proposal had a three- and four-story building of affordable senior housing in place of the single-family homes on Brook Street, but Klein removed that building after hearing from neighbors that they preferred the single-family homes remain and be fixed up instead. The final plan involves moving at least two and possibly four of the existing single-family homes that are in better condition to replace houses in worse condition.

Both Klein and Hagenow agreed that the block needed improvement. Hagenow said the city has different redevelopment goals for Park Street and for the Greenbush neighborhood and that the block of Brook Street in question happens to be where the two areas intercept.

“The zoning hopes to set that guidance for future development, but Jacob just doesn’t want to follow that. He wants to push his own plans,” Hagenow said.

Klein said his proposed changes would change the commercial zoning by only 80 or 100 feet and that city officials have so far appeared receptive to the plan.

The plan will move through several stages of city review starting next week. The Landmarks Commission is expected to discuss it Monday Oct. 26. The Urban Design Commission, the Planning Commission and the Common Council also will review the plans.

Alder Sara Eskrich said the extent of changes, if any, that will be made to the plan over the next several months is unclear.

“In some ways, the planning process is just beginning. However, due to the nature and scope of the project that was originally proposed, we started a very concentrated neighborhood public input process much earlier than usual, so the project could also be considered well on its way,” she said.

The Greenbush and Bay Creek neighborhoods have a meeting scheduled for Nov. 5 to discuss remaining concerns. Hagenow said he was aware of several neighbors who plan to submit written comments directly to the Urban Design Commission in advance of their Nov. 18 meeting.

“Hopefully our voice will be heard and Jacob will have to go back to the drawing board and come up with something that better fits the neighborhood,” Hagenow said.

Klein said neighborhood residents showed a strong interest in having affordable housing throughout the process and that he made it a point to get them involved early.

“It’s a very active neighborhood and they continue to have a lot of good input to help work out a plan that is financially feasible,” he said.