PRESCOTT – The Prescott Plan Commission forwarded a recommendation to the city council that initial planning for an arterial corridor to lead from Hollister Avenue to an extension of Pine Street get underway. The plan commission met Monday, Sept. 5.

The planning process would allow for new development in the Great Rivers Subdivision. It would replace the current northern route in the city’s long-term plan, which would have been an expanded route with no driveways allowed directly north of 570th Avenue on what is now Sea Wing Boulevard. That would have restricted Great Rivers’ expansions plans. It would also have been expensive. The road would have needed a 1,000-foot-long bridge to traverse a ravine as it headed north to Highway 10, through the Eagle Ridge Business Park and on to intersect with Highway 29 at County Road F.

The Great Rivers Subdivision plans to develop 49 new lots brought the north-south route to the planning table. The price tag for building the roadway in the originally planned location would have been between $11 and $16 million, estimates from the city’s engineering firm, Cedar Corp., indicated.

In the now-preferred location, the road size would be downsized, as it would no longer be used to divert heavy traffic from Highway 10 to Highway 35. It would be two lanes, and driveways could come off of it. The Cedar Corp. estimate for the new road, with a preliminary placement south of 1242nd Street, would be $4.4 million. There’s no set timetable for its construction. City Administrator Matt Wolf said it would be built as development occurs in the area, and developers would be responsible then for paying to extend the road.

The council was expected to give its blessing this week to the route, which would then start the process of getting it mapped, though the final locations won’t be known until it’s actually developed. It was mentioned at the meeting that property along the planned roadway is owned by Pechacek Dairy, the Stan and Beverly Boles Children’s Trust and Riley Romero, LLC.

The new route south would be planned east of the large ravine, where box culverts could be installed instead of a bridge where necessary, Greg Adams of Cedar Corp. told planners.

Planning for the road means the city’s Comprehensive Plan would have to be updated with the new road location. That means the matter will come back to the plan commission with that proposal. Also, property owners will be notified, and a public hearing will be held as part of that process.

“This will open up some developable property,” said Adams. “You’re not approving this route in its exact form, but the concept of a new route in lieu of the other route that was selected about 20 years ago.”

He said an initial conversation with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation indicated that the road will be for local traffic, not a bypass.

“That really made this become more of a local road rather than a large bypass scenario. This is a local road, a two-lane road,” said Adams.

Plan commission member David Hovel said, “It’d be like a collector. The people want to get to the high school quicker, they’d use that instead of going through town.”

Any trails or sidewalks along the planned road would happen when the land is developed, according to Adams.

New plan commission member Kate Otto asked about communicating the plan to affected property owners. Josh Miller of Cedar Corp. said the city staff could do outreach, but that they’d be given notice of a hearing on the plan. It would also make development of the land easier for the property owners.

“This is a conceptual thing,” Miller said. “We have to plan for connectivity, and this is within your purview to plan within this extraterritorial area.”