PRESCOTT – The Prescott Plan Commission Oct. 5 voted to recommend a site plan to the city council for Megan Langer’s newest project, The Collective.

Langer, of Prescott Lodging LLC, submitted a site plan to the city for the property she purchased at 216 Broad St., which formerly housed Lucille’s and The Brickyard. The building has been vacant for two years.

The Collective proposal highlights retail space, a walk-up bar and patio on the main level, with event/officer space on the second floor. The proposed building, which would be sided in LP siding, would be 32 feet tall. The site plan also includes new landscaping, a privacy fence and retaining wall on the adjoining London Bridges LLC property at 206 Broad St. The two LLCs would be required to execute a shared maintenance agreement (with city approval) prior to any building permit issuance covering maintenance, repairs, replacement and responsibility.

Any water runoff will be directed toward the alley for collection and conveyance through proposed stormwater system improvements, City Planner Luke Wiese said.

Langer is proposing to add eight parking spaces with rear access for deliveries, Trash would not be located onsite; Langer has a plan in place for her other downtown properties that shuttles garbage offsite, due to space constraints.

Weise said public improvements are proposed with the alley immediately to the north of the site, including new storm sewer infrastructure and restoration of the affection portion of the alley. 
“This is to help with any runoff concerns there,” said Weise.

Commissioner Dave Hovel asked if the alley improvements would alleviate the flooding problems at 220 Broad St., which is owned by Todd Langenfeld.

“There’s not grading. So that’s one of the arguments that that property is owner is trying to make is that somehow we have regraded the alley within the past 10 years and it’s causing storm sewer to go into his building. That is not the case of what has happened,” City Administrator Matt Wolf said.

Langenfeld addressed the city council at a prior meeting about his displeasure with water draining from the alley, according to him, into his building and blamed the city’s reconstruction of the alley years ago. He also refused to pay for a new private connection into the storm sewer system and threatened to sue the city if water continues draining into his building.

Troy Langer said some of the water from the old Lucille’s building’s roofline drains onto 220 Broad St. currently, but that will be alleviated by the new storm sewer connection.

Business Park Master Plan update

The city purchased 150 acres of land in 2021 for the extension of the Prescott Business Park, Wolf said. Since then, the city has established Tax Increment District #6, completed the preliminary design for extending Ryden Road, retained a marketing firm and hired Ayres Associates to complete a master concept plan with 3D visualization for future commercial and industrial development.

The current plan is to extend Ryden Road in 2028 with water, sanitary, storm sewer and other private utilities. The plan would be to create another access point on Highway 10 and at some point, to the Highway 29/County Road F intersection.

“We’ve had some interest from some people, but unfortunately, with the road and infrastructure not in place and also the cost in order to do that, we’ve had to hold up until we got some other things prepared and ultimately, hopefully getting that infrastructure in place,” Wolf said. “The ideal situation, which hasn’t occurred, we would have somebody who’s wanted to develop 40 acres and do a very large industrial development that would help facilitate doing more intensive infrastructure.”

Wolf asked the commission to consider the following questions:

• Is the proposed mix of large, medium, and small lots appropriate?
• The plan shows smaller lots along Highway 10 that could accommodate commercial development, with larger lots located north of Ryden Road. Does the Plan Commission support this general development pattern?
• Are there specific Business Park development or design standards that should be established before lots are sold?
• Finally, should the city move forward with formally dividing the Business Park via plat consistent with the concept plan and then use Certified Survey Maps (CSMs) to modify lot configurations as needed? Or should the city keep the Business Park as one larger parcel.

The commission agreed they want to see designs standards for businesses along the highway, so it doesn’t add to the feeling that Prescott is a “pole barn” city. They directed staff to proceed with plans for Phase 1 of the business park.  

WisDOT grant

In August, the city learned that Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) has awarded $5,567,440 in federal Transportation Alternatives Program funding to the city’s pedestrian improvement project along highways 10 and 29/35.

The final alternative chosen includes a 100-foot pedestrian bridge over Highway 10, new trails and sidewalk along Orrin, St. Croix, Borner, Pine, Henry and Filkins streets, and disconnecting the eastern leg of Orrin Road from Campbell Street.

In August, the DOT approved $5,567,440 for construction of the improvements, which is one of the largest TAP grants in the program’s history, Wolf said. The city will be responsible for 100% ($580,000) of design costs and 20% ($1.39 million) of construction costs. The project is expected to be designed in 2027-28. Construction is not expected to begin until 2030, the same time as other WisDOT improvements along Highway 10 (such as retaining wall replacement).

Wolf said to close the eastern side of Orrin Road along Campbell Street, by state law, the city will need to create a “pedestrian mall.” This allows the city to retain the right-of-way but limits it to pedestrian use only. A public hearing is required, which the city attorney recommended be held in 2029, a year before construction begins.

“As the Orrin Road design is refined, staff will continue outreach with affected property owners, businesses, and residents,” Wolf’s memo states. “Once the project approaches construction and the limits of the proposed pedestrian mall are finalized, the matter will be returned to the Plan Commission for formal review and recommendation before proceeding to the Common Council.”

Other business

The commissioners approved a certified survey map for the Jewell Street extension, which provides the city legal access to a city-owned parcel and allows the city to extend the street in the future. The school district also has to sign off on the CSM.