RIVER FALLS – The River Falls Planning Commission approved a General Development Plan Tuesday, March 1 for a multi-family development at 131-141 W. Cascade Ave. The four-story building is part of Phase 3 of the University Falls development along Lake George, where the Foster mobile home park was once located.

The first two phases saw completion of two student housing apartment buildings, constructed by Gerrard Corporation, in 2010. Lake George Place, originally proposed several years ago as a mixed-use building, will now be a residential- only building with 32 units and no commercial component. The building will contain five studio apartments, 15 one-bedroom units and 12 twobedroom units.

The building’s first floor will have 24 covered parking space, along with a lobby, mail room and leasing office, City Planner Emily Shively said. The General Development Plan (GDP) addresses the development’s land uses, access, open space and location of structures and parking. The outdoor parking area will have 28 spaces alongside and behind the building, with the garage door to the covered parking located on the building’s north side. The building’s front entrance will be located on West Cascade Avenue, for a more lively streetscape, Shively said.

“Another significant outcome of the University Falls beauty was the dedication of trail easements and the construction of a trail segment of the Kinnickinnic trail system that provided an essential connection along Lake George,” Shively said.

The new building will also feature a publicly accessible connection between West Cascade Avenue and the trail via a sidewalk along the east side of the building and a stairway down to the trail.

The building will follow the same architectural style as the first two; a flat roof will provide space for solar panels. Developers Peter Gerrard and Paul Gerrard, who were on hand for questions, also assured the commission lowflow toilets and showers, energy efficient appliances and energy efficient windows would be installed.

“It just makes sense,” Peter Gerrard said. “Green energy is a wonderful thing.”

Shively told the commission the conceptual plan is consistent with several city plans, including the Comprehensive Plan, the Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan, the South Main Street Study, the Campus Corridor Project, the Kinni Corridor Plan and the comprehensive housing needs analysis.

“We have several plans that have all said, this location would be great for some significant housing density in this location,” Shively said.

The Gerrards said this development targets younger professionals and retirees, while Phases 1 and 2 were geared toward college students. The conceptual plan proposes the creation of a walkable development, with 1.75 parking spaces per unit.

“People that really want to park their car, some not even having a car, and walkable to all city services,” Peter Gerrard said. “That’s the beauty of this site, the beauty of our other site here at City Station and Depot.”

The GDP will be voted on by the city council at the March 22 meeting.

The conceptual plan for Phase 3 of the University Falls planned unit development on West Cascade Avenue shows the location of the 32-unit proposed multi-family building. Plan courtesy of Gerrard Corporation