Proposed development could bring up to 600 residential units to the village of Germantown

A 65-acre mixed-used development with up to 600 residential units may be built in Germantown if developers and village officials agree on the best fit for the village.

Everett Frenz, listed as an agent for the property owners, is looking to build multiple multifamily residential buildings northeast of Fond du Lac Avenue and Donges Bay Road.

The architect for the potential development, Jeff Groenier, presented a proposal for the parcel at the Feb. 12 plan commission meeting.

The question is, How dense should Germantown be?

How many residential units would the development have?

According to village documents, the number of proposed residential units would be between 580 and 600.

What's being proposed?

According to village documents, the proposal calls for several buildings — most for residential development — including ranch and townhouse-style duplexes. There would be other multi-unit buildings, including two four-story, 105-unit buildings.

The proposal also includes a 20,000-foot commercial building and two mixed-use buildings with retail opportunities available with 28 apartment units above.

According to village documents, if this proposal gets approved, it will be a multi-phased development.

What did the plan commission say about the proposal?

The biggest issue the plan commissioners had was that two of the residential buildings proposed were four-story buildings with attached garages. Each building was proposed with 105 units.

"I think it is too dense. I can't get my arms around it. I never liked the idea of this much density in Germantown," said commissioner Bill Shadid at the meeting. "The 105 units are too out of place. I can't picture in my community four-story units with a parking garage."

Plan Commission Chairperson Dean Wolter added that this number of residential units may be better served "closer to a lot of the amenities" in Germantown. He said that being close to the other businesses adds more continuity to the community.

What happens next?

Village administrator Steve Kreklow said that the next step is for the developers to review the plan commission's feedback from the meeting. The developer can continue to move forward by submitting a revised plan for the village staff and the plan commission to review. Kreklow said the process takes place about one to three months after the consultation.

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Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on X at @kozlowicz_cathy