Pleasant Prairie panel backs mixed-use development near I-94

Milwaukee-based Fiduciary Real Estate Development Inc. plans to develop 95 acres of vacant land south of Highway 50 in Pleasant Prairie for a variety of uses, including 300 apartments, a 159-unit senior living facility and as much as 218,000 square feet of commercial space.

The proposed development, called River View, received an endorsement from the village’s Plan Commission on Monday evening.

The development site is located south of Highway 50, west of 104th Avenue, north of 79th Street and east of 115th Avenue. It’s also just east of Interstate 94 and directly south of the Lynch Chevrolet of Kenosha dealership.

Plans call for the 300 apartments to be placed in 16 two-story buildings, which includes 12 20-unit buildings and four 15-unit buildings. The unit mix ranges from studio to three-bedroom units, ranging in price from $1,100-2,200. A clubhouse for residents will include a club room, fitness facility, pool and leasing office.

The apartments will be developed first. Second will be the 159 units of senior housing, which will potentially offer all types of care from independent living, to assisted living, to memory care. Of those 159 units, 147 will be located in the same building while the remainder will be divided among three four-unit buildings.

Lastly, the commercial buildings will go up on about 34.5 acres, which could include nearly 218,000 square feet of space. End uses could include retail, office or medical services.

According to village documents, the apartments would be located largely to the center of the development site. The senior complex would be located toward the southeastern portion of the site, along 105th Avenue.

Streets would also be extended to serve the buildings, the documents show. For instance, 77th Street would be extended further westward and run between the residential and commercial sites. Also, 115th Avenue would continue northward and connect to Highway 50. The commercial buildings would be constructed on land to the north that runs along Highway 50.

Fiduciary wrote in a report to the village it is pursuing the project to meet the needs of the area’s fast-growing population and workforce. The development firm noted the community has seen significant growth in recent years, especially along the I-94 corridor and particularly near the I-94 and Highway 50 interchange.

“This has created a strong pent-up demand for new multifamily housing options, commercial/retail space and medical office space to serve the rapidly growing population,” Fiduciary wrote. “With this growth there has been a disproportionate number of jobs created relative to new housing units, or in other words the number of housing units created have been extremely low compared to the number of jobs being created, further substantiating the strong demand for housing.”

The Plan Commission specifically approved a proposed amendment to the village’s comprehensive plan and recommended for approval a conceptual plan related to the project, according to a news release.