OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Waukesha Plan Commission Meeting - July 22, 2026

Public Meetings — Wednesday, July 22, 2026
BodyWaukesha, Wisconsin
SessionPublic Meetings
DateWednesday, July 22, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:09:50

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Yep.

0:02

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the regularly scheduled plan commission meeting for July 22nd.

0:09

My name is Joan Frank Hoore.

0:11

I'm a member of the Commission.

0:13

The mayor, who is the chair of the commission, is not able to be with us tonight.

0:16

She's representing the city in Madison at a meeting.

0:20

And so she's asked me to chair, and that's what I'm doing.

0:24

So the first thing we'd like you to do is to join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:49

Thank you.

0:49

And we'll have roll call.

0:51

And Heather, would you start?

0:54

Heather Granger.

0:55

Here.

0:56

Jack Wells here.

0:57

Joan Frank Hoor here.

0:59

Beth Moulton.

1:03

Thank you.

1:03

We have a quorum and can proceed with business tonight.

1:07

The first thing on our agenda is public comment.

1:10

And I would just let you know that this is on the agenda in case someone can't stay for the meeting and wanted to address an item, or that you have something you wanted to speak to the plan commission about, which is not listed on our agenda tonight.

1:24

So I will pause and see if there are members of the audience who would like to speak with us.

1:29

I would also remind you that as we go through the specific items, there is an opportunity at each of them for you to speak if you have information or we want to make a comment to the plan commission.

1:43

So let me pause now and see if there's anyone who's in the audience that would like to address our commission tonight.

1:52

Not seeing a large group running up to the microphone.

1:57

I guess I would ask Doug, are there any comments of public comments that came into the commission?

2:02

Um we did receive a couple comments from one of the aldermen, and they will be presented during the presentation of those items.

2:09

Okay, very good.

2:10

Then the next thing on our agenda is the approval of minutes, and these minutes were from June 22nd.

2:19

Thank you, Commissioner Wells moves.

2:23

Commissioner Keller seconds.

2:25

Uh are there any additions, deletions for the minutes or any comments.

2:32

Seeing none, I believe we're ready to vote.

2:35

All those in favor say aye.

2:37

Aye.

2:38

Opposed.

2:38

Those passed unanimously.

2:41

And thank you for that vote.

2:42

Excuse me.

2:43

Before we get too far, I would like to introduce the new staff members.

2:47

If you don't mind.

2:49

So on my left is our new associate planner, Megan Steiner Puttier.

2:54

Close.

2:58

She joined us the a couple weeks ago now.

3:00

Um this will be your first meeting, obviously, before you.

3:03

Um we're very excited to have her on board.

3:06

And then I know I think Alderman Wells was not at our last meeting.

3:10

And uh on Charlie's left is Thane Bremer, and he's our intern.

3:16

Um he's a currently grad student at UW Milwaukee.

3:19

And uh we're happy to have him on board.

3:21

He's been helping us out a lot this summer, and uh maybe staying around this fall as well.

3:25

So you'll be seeing both of their faces uh quite often now moving forward, hopefully.

3:30

Well, it's a pleasure and re welcome you, Thane, and welcome you, Megan.

3:36

Um, I think it's exciting to see both of you not only present, but you're on the agenda tonight.

3:41

So uh we look forward to your comments and presentation.

3:44

Uh the first the next thing on our agenda is the consent agenda, and what that really means is that the staff has gone through some of the applications and found that there are compliance with our code and with we what we usually look at, and so therefore they brought us to us at the plan commission for consent to be approved.

4:06

So I'm just gonna pause for a second and ask if any of the commissioners would like any of these items removed from consent.

4:16

Seeing none, what that means is that the staff recommendation has been approved by the commission, and these items are considered approved.

4:26

The next part of our agenda then is our business items, and the first one is a final site plan and architectural review for the property at 222 West St.

4:38

Paul Avenue, St.

4:40

Paul Place.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████████████████████████████████50%
Affordable Housing███████████████████████25%
Procedural████████9%
Community Engagement████████9%
Public Engagement██2%
Environmental Protection██2%
Transportation Safety█1%
Public Safety█1%
Disability Rights█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Waukesha Plan Commission Meeting - July 22, 2026

The Waukesha Plan Commission held its regularly scheduled meeting on July 22, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. Acting Chair Joan Frank Hoor presided in the absence of the Mayor. The commission reviewed consent items, several site plans, a consultation for a proposed residential development, a plumbing code update, and a surplus land declaration. Key votes included approval of a self-storage facility with conditions, a split vote on a fence and parking condition for a commercial renovation, and unanimous approval of code updates and surplus land.

Consent Calendar

  • Minor Site Plan & Architectural Review – 1111 Maitland Drive, Adeline Montessori School: Approved with staff comments for a fence enclosure.
  • Certified Survey Map – 809 Philip Drive, The Gund Company: Approved for a one-lot CSM covering 10.301 acres in the M-2 General Manufacturing District.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • General Public Comment: No members of the public addressed the commission at the start of the meeting.
  • Public Comments on Consultation Item (918 Niagara Street): Two residents (Diana Bauer and Karina Mandiola) and one additional neighbor (Kelly Mendiola) expressed concerns about the proposed Cherry Faith residential development. Issues raised included: potential parking shortages, density, disruption to the neighborhood, and lack of adequate notification. Diana Bauer, owner of a nearby four-family building, worried about tenant displacement. Karina Mandiola noted that the bus line no longer runs on Niagara Street and questioned the feasibility of a playground on the site. The commission acknowledged the feedback and encouraged the developer to hold a neighborhood meeting.
  • Alderman Comments Read into Record: Alderman Mike Christian (via written statement) expressed support for the STOR-IT Right self-storage facility, noting its clean operation and security measures. He also voiced support for the Cherry Faith residential proposal, calling it a good fit for the neighborhood.

Discussion Items

Final Site Plan & Architectural Review – 222 W St. Paul Avenue (St. Paul Place)

  • Proposal: Exterior and site improvements for a vacant building to create four commercial spaces, including a gym, auto detailing, and offices. New siding, windows, doors, parking, and landscaping.
  • Key Issues: Parking adequacy (7 proposed spaces vs. code requirement of 28), a fence that blocks pedestrian and vehicular access between north and south lots, and need for a cross-access easement.
  • Staff Recommendation: Move fence to allow 4-5 additional spaces and provide pedestrian/vehicular access.
  • Commission Debate: Commissioner Wells suggested allowing the fence to remain if a pedestrian opening is provided. Others supported moving the fence or adding pedestrian access. The applicant (Ashley Pollocks, architect) indicated the owner would prefer to remove the fence entirely if relocation costs were high.
  • Vote: Motion to approve with staff comments, allowing the fence to remain in its current location provided a pedestrian opening is created. Approved 5-1 (Commissioner Keller opposed).

Final Site Plan & Architectural Review – Dolphin Drive/Coral Drive (STOR-IT Right)

  • Proposal: New 64,000 sq. ft. self-storage facility (two buildings) on 4.2712 acres in the M-1 Light Manufacturing District. Requested relief from parking requirements (5 spaces vs. 28 required) and driveway width standards.
  • Key Issues: Sidewalk on Dolphin Drive (medium priority per city plan), curb and gutter on Coral Drive, and stormwater drainage concerns due to adjacent wetlands.
  • Applicant (Chris Swite, civil engineer): Opposed sidewalk on Dolphin due to steep driveway grade; requested no curb on Coral to avoid additional DNR permitting for wetland drainage.
  • Commission Debate: Split on sidewalk requirement (Commissioners Granger, Moulton favored; Keller, Wells opposed; Chair Frank Hoor favored). Curb and gutter on Coral was supported by a majority. Parking relief was generally accepted.
  • Motion: Approve with staff conditions: install sidewalk on Dolphin Drive, curb and gutter on Coral Drive, parking relief to 5 spaces, driveway design to be coordinated with staff. Approved on a split vote (4-1, exact tally unclear; roll call showed one "No" vote).

Certified Survey Map – Dolphin Drive/Coral Drive (STOR-IT Right)

  • Proposal: One-lot CSM for 4.2712 acres. Approved unanimously.

Minor Site Plan & Architectural Review – 1343 Ellis Street (Zehnder Marketing)

  • Proposal: 690 sq. ft. warehouse addition to the west end of the building, new dumpster enclosure, and ADA parking. Approved unanimously.

Consultation – 918 Niagara Street (Niagara Street Apartments, Cherry Faith Residential Development)

  • Proposal: 20-unit multi-family development (reduced from 24) on 0.75 acres. Five two-story buildings with garages, surface parking (20 spaces), and affordable units (11 of 20). Developer Duane Cherry emphasized the project's focus on housing for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with 4 Type A units.
  • Commission Feedback: Concerns about rear setbacks, parking (20 spaces for 20 units), and density. Suggestions included: consider a PUD (planned unit development), hold a neighborhood meeting, and explore one-way traffic flow to maximize space. Chair Frank Hoor encouraged the developer to continue working with staff and the alderman.
  • No formal action taken (consultation only).

Plumbing Code Update

  • Proposal: Amendments to Building Code section 16.031 and Plumbing Code sections 19.12 and 19.17 to clarify plan review requirements for commercial construction, as required by state statute for delegated review authority. Approved unanimously and recommended to the Common Council.

Surplus Land – Big Bend Road Parcel

  • Proposal: Declare 1.986 acres of city-owned vacant land (WAKT138999001) as surplus, no longer needed by the Water Utility. Approved unanimously and recommended to the Common Council.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously.
  • 222 W St. Paul Avenue: Approved with conditions (fence to remain with pedestrian opening) – 5-1 vote.
  • STOR-IT Right (Final Site Plan & Architectural Review): Approved with conditions (sidewalk on Dolphin, curb on Coral, parking relief, driveway design) – 4-1 vote.
  • STOR-IT Right (CSM): Approved unanimously.
  • 1343 Ellis Street: Approved unanimously.
  • 918 Niagara Street Consultation: No action; developer to revise plans and hold neighborhood meeting.
  • Plumbing Code Update: Approved and recommended to Common Council unanimously.
  • Surplus Land: Approved and recommended to Common Council unanimously.

The meeting was adjourned after approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Meeting Transcript

Yep. Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the regularly scheduled plan commission meeting for July 22nd. My name is Joan Frank Hoore. I'm a member of the Commission. The mayor, who is the chair of the commission, is not able to be with us tonight. She's representing the city in Madison at a meeting. And so she's asked me to chair, and that's what I'm doing. So the first thing we'd like you to do is to join us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you. And we'll have roll call. And Heather, would you start? Heather Granger. Here. Jack Wells here. Joan Frank Hoor here. Beth Moulton. Thank you. We have a quorum and can proceed with business tonight. The first thing on our agenda is public comment. And I would just let you know that this is on the agenda in case someone can't stay for the meeting and wanted to address an item, or that you have something you wanted to speak to the plan commission about, which is not listed on our agenda tonight. So I will pause and see if there are members of the audience who would like to speak with us. I would also remind you that as we go through the specific items, there is an opportunity at each of them for you to speak if you have information or we want to make a comment to the plan commission. So let me pause now and see if there's anyone who's in the audience that would like to address our commission tonight. Not seeing a large group running up to the microphone. I guess I would ask Doug, are there any comments of public comments that came into the commission? Um we did receive a couple comments from one of the aldermen, and they will be presented during the presentation of those items. Okay, very good. Then the next thing on our agenda is the approval of minutes, and these minutes were from June 22nd. Thank you, Commissioner Wells moves. Commissioner Keller seconds. Uh are there any additions, deletions for the minutes or any comments. Seeing none, I believe we're ready to vote. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed. Those passed unanimously. And thank you for that vote. Excuse me. Before we get too far, I would like to introduce the new staff members. If you don't mind. So on my left is our new associate planner, Megan Steiner Puttier. Close. She joined us the a couple weeks ago now. Um this will be your first meeting, obviously, before you. Um we're very excited to have her on board. And then I know I think Alderman Wells was not at our last meeting. And uh on Charlie's left is Thane Bremer, and he's our intern. Um he's a currently grad student at UW Milwaukee. And uh we're happy to have him on board. He's been helping us out a lot this summer, and uh maybe staying around this fall as well.

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