Update July 17, 2023
The former Wind Point School property on Jonsue Lane has been sold to a new owner. No other information is available at this time.
Update: November 24, 2021
Update: August 17, 2021
On Thursday, August 12 the Wind Point Village Board approved Newport Development’s request for an extension to their previously approved conditional rezoning of the former school property. On August 13, 2020 the Village Board approved, upon the recommendation from the Village Plan Commission, a request from Newport Development to rezone the school property from Institutional District I-1 to Multi-Family Residential District: R-4 with a Planned Development Overlay. As a condition of approval, Newport Development was required to begin construction on infrastructure (roads, water & sewer and stormwater) improvements to the property within one year of approval. Newport was unable to meet the deadline due to their examination of various alternatives for their sanitary sewer system.
The approval of the rezoning extension requires Newport Development to begin construction on its infrastructure within the next six months, which is no later than February 12, 2022. Below are matters related to the development and where they currently stand:
Site Plan
Please click here to review the site plan for the project.
Buildings
There are four different styles of plans that have been approved by the Village’s Architectural Review Board, after a series of four meetings to review the designs. The proposed condos will not have basements and will be slab on grade. To view the designs please click here.
Emergency Access Concerns
The proposed development and its access points have been reviewed by the Caledonia Fire Department and Wind Point Police Department. Both agencies have stated that they do not have any issues with regards to emergency vehicle access to the property as proposed.
Traffic Concerns
Early in the application process, Newport approached Racine County regarding a need for a traffic impact analysis (TIA). The reason that Newport approached Racine County is that Jonsue Lane connects to Main Street, which is under Racine County’s jurisdiction. Any traffic that will be coming from the property will be using Main Street. The Racine County Highway Department has concluded that a TIA would not be required, because the impacts of traffic from the development would be relatively minor in comparison to the property’s previous use as a school. In determining this Racine County reviewed: the scope and scale of the proposed development, anticipated trip generation, surrounding land use, proximity to and type of County infrastructure impacted, current traffic data on county facilities, and existing traffic infrastructure in the area.
Roads
The roads will be a private road system, with road widths proposed to be 22 feet. Under Chapter 6, Building Construction, for private roads, the roadbed is required to be at least 18 feet in width. Under a Planned Development Overlay district, there shall be no predetermined street width requirements and the road width can be approved as part of the development plan. Newport has stated that they do not plan to have any additional parking on the site for visitors. Parking for visitors will be on the individual unit driveways and on the street. Newport has also planned to construct curb and gutter in this development. Newport will need to submit its road construction plans for review by the Village engineer, with final approval coming from the Plan Commission and Village Board.
In 2020, the home at 115 4 Mile Road was for sale and Newport had examined the possibility of purchasing the home and constructing a road. The Village had also examined the possibility of doing the same. The reasons for not moving forward with such a plan included:
- Need: Based upon discussions with the Caledonia Fire Department, Wind Point Police Department and Racine County it was determined that traffic numbers along with emergency access were not of a concern.
- Cost: The cost to acquire the property, demo the home, divide the lot and put in a new road would have been too costly for the developer based upon the need for such a facility.
- Creates a Through Street: Newport has stated that they have wanted this development to be relatively private and adding a road connection to Four Mile Road would create a through street, that would likely increase the volume of traffic on Jonsue Lane and through the proposed development.
Sanitary Sewer
Newport has investigated various options for their sanitary sewer system on the property including a gravity fed system which would run southeast out of the property towards Lake Meadow Drive and a force main (grinder pump system) that would connect to the sanitary sewer main that is located on Jonsue Lane. It appears that Newport is leaning towards a forced main system, however final plans still need to be submitted for review. There have been concerns raised about a force main system, as its dependent on electricity to work, however there are examples of forced main systems in Wisconsin, and within the Caledonia Utility District’s jurisdiction. If a force main system is Newport’s final proposal it will be a privately owned system. Whichever type of system is proposed, it will need to be reviewed by the Village engineer, along with the State of Wisconsin, the Caledonia Utility District, and the Village.
Stormwater Management and Grading Plans
Newport has proposed to construct one stormwater pond on the site. Details and calculations about these features are still being worked on and final plans have not yet been submitted to the Village. Under state regulations, the stormwater pond must be at least 5 feet in depth but could be deeper, based upon the final site design. Newport will be required to provide a formal plan showing the proposed new stormwater infrastructure and where water will flow on the property when improvements (buildings and roads) are constructed. Review will be required by the Village Engineer and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources prior to final review by the Plan Commission and Village Board.
Update: February 25, 2021
Update: August 14, 2020
On August 13, the Village Board approved changes to the Village’s zoning map for the former Wind Point School property. Newport Development requested a change in the zoning of the parcel from Institutional District (I-1) to Multiple-Family Residence District (R-4) with a Planned Development Overlay (PDO). The change in the land use for the property allows Newport Development to construct twindiminimum buildings on the property. The proposed site plan for the property includes the construction of 20 buildings with 40 twindiminimum units, which was conditionally approved by the Village Board. The buildings will be side by side condos.
View Ordinance 20-01: An Ordinance Amending the Comprehensive Plan
View Ordinance 20-02: An Ordinance Amending the Village’s Zoning Map and Rezoning
The approved land use changes are the first step in the process to redevelop the parcel. Newport Development is required to obtain approval for the design of their condo buildings from the Village’s Architectural Review Board. The developer is also required to submit and obtain approval for their proposed roads, utilities, grading plan, stormwater management plan, and final condo plat. They will also be required to enter into a developers agreement with the Village, which sets requirements that the developer must meet for the property’s redevelopment.
All meeting agenda’s relating to this project will be noticed on this website as well on the Village’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
Update: July 15, 2020
The Wind Point Plan Commission recommended to move forward with an amendment to the Village’s comprehensive plan and rezoning for the former school property at their meeting held on Wednesday, July 8. This means that a public hearing will occur on Thursday, August 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the regular Village Board meeting. The public hearing is an official opportunity for Village residents to speak about the proposed project. After the public hearing is concluded, the Village Board will discuss the two requests and will act on the requests at the meeting. If the two requests are approved, this will be the first step to allow for Newport Development to construct 40 condo units on the property. The developer will still be required to receive approval of the design of the proposed condominiums from the Village’s Architectural Review Board and will need to have their site, grading and stormwater management plan approved by the Village. To view the public hearing notices please click here.
Update: July 1, 2020
Newport Development has submitted to the Village their revised conceptual site plan for the former school property development. These revisions were based upon comments that were received at last fall’s neighborhood meeting, and the January meetings of the Plan Commission and Architectural Review Board. The four biggest requests that were received by Newport Development, included:
- Making the stormwater pond more attractive by changing the shape and rearranging the buildings.
- Reduce the number of units on the site from 48 to 40 (24 buildings to 20 buildings).
- Move the private road away from the residential properties abutting the site to the north.
- Re-oriented the private roadway to make it seem less like a race track.
The proposed plan also includes a walking path from the development to the existing pathway that runs along the eastern edge of the property. The proposed site plan can be found by clicking this link
Only a revised site plan has been submitted. Newport Development will still need to re-submit revisions to the proposed designs for the buildings. Newport Development is requesting to amend the Village’s comprehensive plan and rezone the property from Institutional District I-1 to Multiple-Family Residence District R-4 with a Planned Development Overlay (PDO). The PDO allows for flexibility in how buildings are placed on the property and building setbacks.
Update: December 20, 2019
Newport Development has submitted to the Village their formal application for the redevelopment of the Wind Point School property. The proposal is requesting to rezone the property from Institutional District, I-1 to Multiple-Family Residence District, R-4, with a Planned Development Overlay District (PDO) and to construct 48 high end condominium units in 24 buildings. The submitted plans and application materials are available for review at the Village Office, 215 E. Four Mile Road. You can also view the plans here.
Two meetings have been scheduled to begin the review of the project. Both meetings will be held in the auditorium of the Prairie School, 4050 Lighthouse Drive. The auditorium is located in the main school building, directly south of the main parking lot and can be accessed by the main (north) entrance to the school. These meetings are open, public meetings and anyone is welcome to attend them.
- Wednesday, January 15 at 5:30 p.m. The Village’s Plan Commission will be reviewing the developer’s request to change the comprehensive plan, request to rezone the property, and the proposed site plan.
- Tuesday, January 21 at 5:30 p.m. The Architectural Review Board will be reviewing the architectural design of the proposed buildings.
This will be the first in a series of meetings that will need to be held for the proposed development. The Village will continue to provide updates regarding scheduled meetings to residents.
If you have any questions please contact Village Administrator, Casey Griffiths at 262-639-3524 or [email protected] for more information.
Update: October 5, 2019
On Thursday, October 3, Ray Leffler, of Newport Development, presented conceptual plans for the proposed redevelopment of the Wind Point School property. Mr. Leffler is proposing to construct 48 high end condominium units in 24 buildings on the 14-acre parcel. Mr. Leffler stated that the condominiums will be between 1691 sq. ft. and 2132 sq. ft. in size with proposed values between $350,000 and $400,000. There are four different styles of condominiums being considered for the project which are shown below. Mr. Leffler stated that his team’s market research has indicated that this type of development was highly sought after in Wind Point and that the type of housing is unique to the area.
Mr. Leffler noted that he is proposing to have one private road which will be connected to Jonsue Lane and will circle the development. Streetlights are proposed for the project, however, Mr. Leffler noted that details were not yet available. Mr. Leffler stated that it is their intention to keep and improve the walking path along the east side of the property, and that they would examine other possible options to improve the walk-ability of the development.
Mr. Leffler stated that a hydrology analysis was completed, and soil boring samples were done, both of which indicated that there is a high-water table on the property. To deal with this, Mr. Leffler is proposing to construct a large storm-water retention pond in the middle of the development, as well as a smaller pond in the southeast corner of the property as shown on the site plan. Additionally, the condo units will not be able to have basements.
Members from Mr. Leffler’s team listened to the concerns of those in attendance regarding privacy between lots, design of the buildings, siting of the buildings on the lot, traffic concerns and construction traffic. Newport Development will be considering the comments and have stated that they could implement changes to the project’s design, based upon the comments that were received.
The next step in the process will be the submission of a formal application to the Village for building and zoning approvals. According to Mr. Leffler the submission may be by the end of this year. All meetings that the Village will hold on this development are open to the public and will be noticed on the Village’s website, Facebook page, and Twitter. Please remember to check this web-page follow the Wind Point E-News for updates on this project.
Update: August 28, 2019
Update: November 1, 2018
Background Information
Wind Point School (290 Jonsue Ln.) served as a small elementary school in the RUSD for many years until the district decided to permanently close it after the 2012-2013 school year. In September 2017, RUSD issued a request for proposals to solicit bids to demolish the school building. On November 20, 2017, the RUSD School Board approved a proposal to transfer the ownership of the property to Newport Development Corporation. As part of the transfer agreement, Newport Development would be required to demolish the school and redevelop the property.
On December 14, 2017, Ray Leffler of Newport Development, spoke to the Village Board about the developer’s intentions for the property. Mr. Leffler indicated that the acquisition of the property would be finalized in early 2018. They would then proceed with asbestos remediation and demolition of the existing buildings. Mr. Leffler said they are preparing plans to build high-quality, single-story “twindiminium” units on the property. He said the exact layout and number of units to be proposed will depend on how much of the site is buildable, which they are reviewing. Mr. Leffler indicated that he will hold a neighborhood meeting to discuss his plans and to solicit feedback before applying for building and zoning approvals from the Village.
Check back on this webpage and follow the Wind Point E-News for updates on this project. We will post public meeting dates and plans for the property, once they are available!