FORT ATKINSON, WISC. – An ordinance annexing the territory along Banker Road to the City of Fort Atkinson for a planned neighborhood was moved to a second reading by the city council June 15.
City Manager Rebecca Houseman LeMire said that in 2019, the City of Fort Atkinson purchased three parcels of land along Banker Road in the Town of Koshkonong with the intention of annexation and future residential development.
The annexation, she said, will allow property owners to develop the property at higher densities and obtain urban services not available in the town, such as water and sewer.
“This annexation would create town islands within the city, and, to avoid potential conflict, the city and Town of Koshkonong chose to work together on an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) to mutual benefit,” LeMire said. “That IGA has been executed, and the city has commissioned a plat of annexation and a legal description to move forward with the process.”
She noted that the temporary zoning classification proposed is SR-2, Single-Family Residential District-2.
“This is simply a placeholder zoning district until such time that the city council determines the appropriate zoning districts based on the approval of the Neighborhood Plan,” LeMire said.
The City of Fort Atkinson, she said, is well aware of the current housing shortage of all types, densities, and sizes.
“The annexation of the subject parcels will further the city’s goal of providing suitable land for residential development,” LeMire said.
This annexation allows the city to continue the Neighborhood Planning process, she said.
“After that plan is complete, the city intends to prepare a request for proposals for developers to develop the land in phases in accordance with the city’s Comprehensive Plan and the approved Neighborhood Plan,” LeMire said. “The development of this land will increase the opportunity for housing as well as the city’s tax base.”
The city’s future land use map from the 2019 comprehensive land use plan shows the area as Planned Neighborhood. This future land use category is intended to provide for a variety of housing choices and a carefully planned mix of non-residential uses consistent with the mainly residential character of the area.
The city has hired Vandewalle and Associates to develop an overall Neighborhood Plan for the area. That process has started and is expected to be complete within the next three to four months.
The city’s Plan Commission met June 8 and recommended that the city council review the petition for annexation and approve the ordinance annexing the territory along Banker Road to the City of Fort Atkinson.
