ELLSWORTH — The Ellsworth Village Board approved the C&E Wurzer Builders proposal for the old junior high site development during the Aug. 20 special board meeting.

The C&E Wurzer Builders proposal was recommended as the first option from the Community Development Authority (CDA) after a pair of meetings on the topic in July.

Wurzer’s proposal includes two 12-unit apartment buildings, two twin homes and a single-family home. The proposal includes fewer units than the other two original proposals to the CDA, but the majority decided the smaller size would be a better fit for the area.

A criticism Wurzer was met with from the CDA was the design of the plan, and they returned with an altered look to the board. The alteration was appreciated by some of the members of the board that were also present at the CDA meeting.

“I just wanted to acknowledge that I was really pushing back on the design, and so I appreciate that you came back with those changes,” Village President Becky Beissel said.

To go along with the fewer units, the shorter height was a reason people preferred the plan. The Wurzer proposal plans for a peak height of around 31.5 feet, while the Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp. (WHPC) proposal came in around 44 feet at the peak. The CDA listed the WHPC proposal as the second option after Wurzer on their recommendations. A portion of one of the buildings from the WHPC proposal would have gone to three stories, while the entirety of the Wurzer proposal sits at two.

The topic was mentioned by multiple members of the neighborhood during the meeting. Wurzer’s proposal brings to the table a similar height to the rest of the homes in the surrounding area.

“It’s within the maximum height that’s in that area right now,” Todd Olin of Land & Resource Consulting, who presented on the project, said.

Craig Wurzer said the apartments they build are high quality, comparing them to a starter home.

“We do nicer stuff, they’re not like apartment-grade, low-end finishes,” Craig Wurzer said. “There’s quartz countertops, there’s nice laminate flooring throughout, only carpet in the bedrooms, we do full appliance packages including washer/dryers, stainless steel packages.”

Each of the 24 apartment units are two-bedroom units, with an estimated cost of $1,700 per month. The value of the twin homes is estimated at about $350,000 per unit and the single family at $425,000.

Wurzer will make three annual installments to the village of $50,000 to cover TID expenses and interest before the TID eventually kicks in when residents pay taxes. Wurzer is requesting the land free from the village. The proposal is a market rate project, and they are making no further subsidy requests to the village.

The WHPC proposal was 50 total units spread between an apartment building and two townhome buildings. As WHPC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, they proposed a PILOT payment, rather than a more traditional tax structure Wurzer would fall under, of $26,000 per year with slight annual increases. WHPC offered $300,000 for the purchase of the land. The WHPC proposal was a workforce housing proposal, involving different rents based on income compared to the county median.

There were concerns about the parking situation of the Wurzer proposal, as it has one-car garages for each unit that directly connect to the road, with a second parking spot on the driveways leading to the garages. Some attendees wanted parking to be on the interior of the design, but Craig Wurzer said it may not be something that they can make happen. Others believed two parking spaces for a two-bedroom unit may not be enough.

According to the presentation from Wurzer, the next steps of the process are as follow:

• C & E Wurzer directs Land & Resource to complete a boundary and topographic survey.
• Land & Resource completes the preliminary plat, site plan, grading plan, and utility plan in accordance with the Village of Ellsworth application and review standards.
• C & E Wurzer directs architect to prepare conceptual architectural elevations and floor plans that may be unique to this area.
• Land & Resource compiles the applications with site and architectural plans with a request for consideration to the Village Planning and Village Board for Preliminary Plat and Rezone Request review. Technical review and public hearings are held.
• Land & Resource Consulting responds to various concerns and completes final construction documents and submits the final plat and construction drawings for village staff, planning and board review. Ultimately, a development agreement is prepared to reflect all the terms of construction and construction begins.