Delafield officials are set to consider updated development plans from Hendricks Commercial Properties LLC for a commercial site in downtown Delafield, where it first pitched a five-story mixed-use project more than a year ago.
Beloit-based Hendricks is proposing to construct two four-story buildings at 705 Genesee St. the site of a former BP gas station. The $25 million project would consist of retail space, apartments, offices and a food hall.
According to a city staff report, each building would have first-floor retail space, but the building to the west would have 24 residential units on floors two through four. The eastern building, meanwhile, would have three floors of office space totaling 24,000 square feet. The 20,000 square feet of retail space includes an 8,000-square-foot food hall. The project also call for 120 parking spaces total, and 87 of those spaces would be located underground to serve residential and office users.
“The proposed development at 705 Genesee will fill a void in downtown Delafield by providing much needed office space, residential units, and retail/restaurant space,” the developer states on the project’s website.
Hendricks also points out the land is currently assessed at $800,000 and generates property taxes of $12,000 annually. Once the project is fully developed, the site would instead generate an estimated $385,000. Hendricks expects the development would support 290 jobs during construction and 625 jobs when it is up and running.
The proposal is to be taken up this evening by members of the Delafield Plan Commission.
A representative of Hendricks was not immediately available for comment.
To move forward with the project, Hendricks would need a conditional use permit from the city to allow the construction of the fourth story, the roughly 60-foot building heights, reduced buildings setbacks and the multifamily residential units.
An affiliate of Hendricks purchased the 1-acre property in early 2018 for $3 million, according to state records. The developer had its sights set on the property even before that.
In 2017, Hendricks first proposed a five-story building that would have included about 24,000 first-floor retail space and 42 condo units in the four upper floors, with an option to put office space on the second floor and condos on the remaining three floors above.
The plan commission considered that proposal in late November. Some commissioners said they were concerned with various aspects of the project, including the proposed building height, parking and the overall architectural style, with renderings depicting a modern-looking building that differed from the Williamsburg architectural style found throughout downtown Delafield. Those plans did not move forward as a result.
This newest proposal, however, raises similar concerns to what was first presented in 2017, said Roger Dupler, Delafield city planner. Dupler added the submission “is pretty much the same” regarding building height and setback issues, while not much has changed with the architectural style either.
Dupler noted the plan commission will only be hearing a preliminary presentation at tonight’s meeting. From there will be a public hearing, likely to take place next month. Commissioners could then consider whether to recommend the project to the Common Council, which is responsible for granting final approval.
