Elm Grove panel helps clear path for senior housing

MSP Real Estate could have the OK to proceed with development of a 98-unit senior-care facility in Elm Grove by the end of the month.

Following a public hearing Sept. 6, the Plan Commission approved a resolution allowing a project plan amendment for its TIF District No. 2, which would encompass the development, proposed for the site of the former Tapco headquarters at 800 Wall St. The Plan Commission also approved a request for a conditional-use permit for the development.

The amendment to TIF District No. 2 would provide for additional project expenditures of about $1.4 million, which includes about $700,000 for water main improvements and $600,000 for a developer incentive, plus a contingency of $100,000, Dawn Gunderson, financial advisor/vice president of Ehlers and Associates, explained in a presentation to the Plan Commission.

The senior-care facility would contain a mix of residential-care apartments and community-based residential facilities, as well as memory-care units. It is expected to add about $6 million in value to the site, as well as bring a total of 77 full- and part-time jobs to the village, Gunderson said.

The Joint Review Board already has reviewed the project plan amendment, and the proposal is expected to come before the Village Board on Sept. 25. The development itself has been approved by the Plan Commission, Building Board and Public Works Committee.

Negotiations are still in progress on a developer's agreement with MSP Real Estate, as well as an agreement with the city of Brookfield to provide municipal water to the site and the necessary water main improvements related to that, Village President Neil Palmer said.

The project would involve extending 3,000 feet of 12-inch water main from a connection with Brookfield's water system on the south side of Bluemound Road in Elm Grove Road, then in Elm Grove Road from Bluemound Road to Wall Street, and then in Wall Street from Elm Grove Road to the railroad right of way at the east end of Wall Street, according to the draft project plan amendment prepared by Ehlers.

Village Manager David De Angelis said that while a 12-inch water main is sufficient to serve all the village's water needs, the city of Brookfield has requested the proposed water main be upsized to 16 inches to anticipate the possibility of a future water main extension.

"In the event that water is ever extended all the way to North Avenue or another connection point, it would allow for the transmission of excess water throughout their system to connect to different pressure zones," De Angelis explained.

If for some reason the village is not able to reach an agreement with the city of Brookfield, Palmer said, the project plan could be modified so the development could still proceed without municipal water.

"But we want to stay on track to have final approval at the board meeting at the end of September," Palmer added.

Along with the project plan amendment, the Village Board also will need to approve a conditional-use permit and developer's agreement for the project. If it receives the necessary approvals, MSP Real Estate hopes to begin work on the facility yet this fall.

NEXT STEP

WHAT: Village Board meeting to review proposed project plan amendment for TIF District No. 2, along with the conditional-use request and developer's agreement.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25

WHERE: Village Hall, 13600 Juneau Blvd.