ELLSWORTH — The Ellsworth Plan Commission had a packed agenda Feb. 19, hearing the Judicial Center addition proposal, a new law firm building plan, more items on the C&E Wurzer apartment development at the old junior high, a housing development proposal and more.

A rezoning and concept plan from Pinnacle Land Development to develop a 67-lot residential subdivision including 33 single family and 17 twin homes was declined and returned to the proposers for alterations if they seek to return to the agenda. The proposal was for the development to sit west of Maple Street and south of West Dale Street.

Commission member and Village Board Trustee Ryan Bench and multiple members of the public that commented shared a concern about access points to the development. With the lone access point from Phase 1 coming from Hill Street, there were requests for another access through Maple.

“That’s a lot of traffic going down Crest Lane and then Hill Street right there,” Bench said.

Crest Lane residents worried that too many people would be driving through a road not designed for a high level of traffic as a branch off of Maple. Difficulties reaching the development in case of emergency was also a reason mentioned by commenters for the Maple access.

Resident Randy Brickner said adding the Maple access point may not be as perfect of a solution as some thought, saying the pressure it would put on the street is too high. Policing the area and adding necessary sidewalks were Brickner’s other points against the item. He asked that the proposal have a second access through South Street instead of Maple if it moves forward.

Brickner was not opposed to a development eventually entering that area of town; however, he felt this was not the right proposal and not the right time.

“Right now, that pressure on Maple Street is ridiculous,” Brickner said. “It’s going to happen someday. I don’t think this is the right fit for Ellsworth.”

If the development was approved, a range of $300,000-$350,000 would be targeted for the home prices. Some speakers said of all the developments in the works in Ellsworth, this development would not need to be affordable housing.

Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce Executive Team Member Kim Beebe said while affordable housing has been proposed at many of the locations, market rate options have been selected including the old junior high site development, so the need for affordable housing is still there.

Old Junior High Site

The C&E Wurzer proposal for apartments and homes at the site of the old junior high has seen a lot of input from the public both at public meetings and in online spaces. At the Plan Commission meeting, a rezoning and concept plat motion as well as a conditional use permit and preliminary plat motion were both sent to the village board with a positive recommendation.

Todd Olin of Land & Resource Consulting fielded questions from both the commission as well as a few from the public in attendance and was assisted by Craig Wurzer, the owner of C&E Wurzer.

It has been a lengthy process for the Wurzer proposal to get here, making changes requested at meetings in the plan and battling with a pair of other proposals to eventually earn the selection during the August meeting.

According to Wurzer, the changes the village has requested for the plan would not alter the quality of the materials used.

Resident Chad Verville, who has spoken on the proposal in multiple previous meetings, spoke on a belief that the village’s request for proposals was worded in a way that only multi-family housing options would be submitted.

“I don’t think that’s very fair because it literally was not presented that way in any of the meetings I attended, and I went to all of them,” Verville said. “I actually asked that question a bunch of times, why there was planning on putting an apartment complex in that space. And at the last meeting, I was literally told, well that’s all we got proposals for. Well, you only got proposals for that because it’s all you asked for.”

Bench said the reason for that wording was because the site was identified to fit a multi-family housing need in the Comprehensive Plan. He said the Comprehensive Plan was developed through public feedback and that is what the public identified.

“The old junior high school is another opportunity for needed housing development as the Village now owns the property and can ensure that property is developed for needed housing,” the plan states. “This will not meet all the demand for new housing but will help to meet the need for lower cost housing that is a priority for the community.”

The plan also specifically mentions multi-family development for the site.

Judicial Center

A judicial center addition site plan at 555 W. Overlook Drive (the site of the county jail) was forwarded to the village board unanimously. Within the proposal are courtrooms, judge’s chambers, parking, offices and connection to the jail.

An additional 35 staff and 90 public parking spaces will be added to total 71 staff and 114 public spaces. Underground secure parking will also be added.

“Provides added security for some of the elected officials who will be there as well as a secure way to move people from maybe other counties or other facilities to get them to courts,” Joel Dunning of Wold Architects and Engineers said.

The 62,000 square foot addition was in the works to be a part of the original jail construction, but funding delays stalled the project. Additions to the building will match the exterior of the current building.

Ellsworth businesses

The commission forwarded a site plan for a Loberg Law Office building at Crossing Meadows to the village board. The building would be 9,700 square feet with the potential for a storage shed addition.

A Certified Survey Map is expected to be given to village staff in the near future, as the forwarding of the site plan was to allow the project to move forward as the survey map is in progress.

A commercial kitchen/grocery store plan was forwarded to the village board for Shubel Vento’s Serannos Mercadito. The location is adjacent to Common Man, the former site of Matt’s Electric.

Serannos has operated a food truck at the creamery and plans on preparing food in a food truck outside of the business’ location where it will be brought inside and can be consumed in the store or purchased and brought home, village documents state. There will be a “secure access” for the prepared food to be brought into the building.