Developers of the seventh phase of Clover Meadows in Bayfield received approval Monday night of a revised sketch plan moving through the town’s planning process.
For now, they are not required to pipe the Schroeder Ditch, which borders one side of the property. The town, however, would like the developer and ditch company to keep trying to reach an agreement on the issue. Project representative Eric Nelson of Summit Engineering said a requirement to pipe the ditch would kill the project.
The proposal on 24.34 acres has 60 lots zoned in a mix of R-10 and high-density, single-family residential, including seven multi-family lots that could accommodate up to 82 units based on one unit per 2,000 square feet.
The town board approved the plan, 7-0, Monday with 16 conditions, including requiring trail connections, extending Mustang Drive eastward, conducting a traffic study, paying a fee instead of developing a park in the subdivision, and building a looped water system.
A proposal to require an agreement with the Schroeder Ditch Company was set aside, although town trustees said more development is coming to Bayfield and the issue needs to be handled on a town-wide basis, not subdivision by subdivision.
Residents at the meeting were concerned primarily about ditch safety, drainage issues and traffic congestion.
“I’m all for responsible development,” said Marion Tone, who lives near the ditch on CR 526. Children often play in the ditch, not realizing how strongly the water runs in it. A trash can stuck in the ditch recently required three adults, chains and a truck to pull it out, she added.
“I don’t want to attend a funeral” of a child who drowns there, she said.
Karen Wickman of Lupine Drive said the 7,500-square-foot lots are too small for the neighborhood.
Adding 140 homes in the area will dramatically increase the traffic in the neighborhood, said Wendy Crane, who lives on Daylily Drive.
“It’s still going to be super, super busy,” she said.
Isaac Fleener of Bayfield Realty said the town needs more property to develop. He frequently gets calls from developers who are interested in Bayfield, “and there’s nothing to sell them,” he said.
That was seconded by Karen Iverson, who is stepping down as head of the Regional Housing Authority.
“We need more inventory,” she said. “We need this kind of housing,” she said, referring to the multi-family lots. Working families are starting to move outside of the county and commuting in to work, she said.
Nelson said the project could improve drainage in the subdivision because the current system isn’t working properly. There will be better pedestrian and school access than along the current subdivision streets, most of which don’t have sidewalks.
During their discussion of the project, trustees said they understand the safety concerns about the ditch.
Piping one stretch of the ditch really doesn’t make much sense when it runs through other subdivisions, noted Rachel Davenport.
Ditches “have been going through Bayfield forever,” said Trustee Michelle Yost. The town needs to study how to handle ditches running through town limits, she added.
Some parts of the Los Pinos Ditch have been piped in Dove Ranch, Sunrise Villas and in the new elementary school being constructed near Bayfield Middle School, Town Manager Chris La May said after the meeting. No section of the Schroeder Ditch is piped, other than at some street intersections.
The town board might want to consider a study on how best to deal with the ditches, said Town Attorney Jeff Robbins. A town code on dealing with them “gives you more tools,” he said.
In other action, the board trustees decided to continue studying the Land Use Code revisions made by the Bayfield Planning Commission.
“The planning commission did a lot of work,” Yost said, noting that most of the revisions make sense. The trustees plan to discuss them further at their July 3 meeting.
The town will host a public forum for the final concept plan of the park at Pine River Public Library, which is a collaboration between the town and library district, from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 28. Plans for the park are on display at the library.
