JCap Real Estate’s controversial multi-family housing development and Cobblestone Hotel in downtown Sun Prairie passed through the city’s planning commission on Tuesday, April 9, after nearly a year of discussion.
Commission members voted 8-1 in favor of the project’s General Development Plan and Precise Implementation Plan. Analiese Eicher was the lone dissenting vote.
The approved plans include two four-story buildings as well as an at-grade, covered parking structure located on the corner of W. Main Street and N. Bristol Street.
The first building is envisioned as an apartment complex with 100 units ranging from studio to two-bedroom accommodations. The second is a 63-room Cobblestone Hotel and Wissota Chophouse.
JCap also presented preliminary plans for a memorial plaza at the corner of the development to honor the 2018 natural gas explosion that destroyed existing buildings on the site.
It should be noted that the city’s Planning Director, Joshua Clements, confirmed that Sun Prairie has been approached with an investment request by JCap. Clements stated that was the extent of information he could disclose at this time.
This specific proposal has bounced between prior planning commission and community engagement meetings dating back to June 2023.
Plans have fluctuated between four and six stories for the apartment complex. Residents have routinely voiced concerns regarding traffic congestion, parking and the building’s exterior aesthetic.
At the April 9 meeting, a crowd of Sun Prairie citizens filled the city council chambers to voice their support or displeasure with the project.
A multitude of downtown businesses owners spoke in favor of approving the proposal. Many, if not all of them, said the area is in need of economic stimulus, some saying staying open has been a challenge in recent years.
Residents in support of the project also made note of the influx of business that the development would create. Additionally, several saw the lack of hotels in the city as a hurdle when trying to host family or friends.
Meanwhile, an equal amount of residents spoke out against approving the development proposal. Several shared their continued concerns that the project would change the neighborhood for the worse and overwhelm existing parking and traffic infrastructure.
Opposition to the proposal had clearly softened in comparison to previous meetings perhaps due to the compromises and additional public engagement that JCap has undertaken in recent weeks.
Prior to the April 9 meeting, the developer and the community met in an informal setting at city hall on April 3 to continue working through the disconnect. Attendees said that they came away from the meeting feeling better about the direction of the project.
Since their last proposal in December, JCap reduced the height of the apartment structure by two stories, included more brick in its exterior and moved on-site parking to ground level while also covering it with a green roof.
Representatives from JCap and Kahler & Slater, the project’s architectural firm, stated that these changes came in response to public feedback.
Three residents who registered to speak in opposition of the approvals at the meeting changed their tunes before coming before the commission. Each of them said they approved of the changes that JCap had adopted, especially when it came to the improved historic look of the building.
Frustrations regarding the community engagement process, transparency and the future of downtown infrastructure were still key topics of discussion.
One resident, Alexander Robertson, stated that he liked the proposal much more than its six-story predecessor. However, Robertson criticized the existence of the previous proposal and questioned its origin.
In December 2023, Mayor Paul Esser stated that he asked JCap to look into increasing the building height. At the same time, Clements said the discussion arose to find a way to move the development’s parking underground while keeping the project financially viable.
Commissioner Eicher addressed the developer directly and criticized the course that the proposal took and the lack of effort to surpass minimum benchmarks.
“The proposal we have today is honestly where we should’ve started last year... I am glad that we’ve come to this but the concerns that people have raised about traffic and parking, they still have not been addressed. Maybe that’s not on the developer, but maybe it’s on us as a city and a community,” Eicher said.
District Four Alder David Virgell seconded Eicher’s sentiments regarding the parking and traffic situation downtown. Virgell also took time to thank residents who brought solutions to the problem before the commission and encouraged them to continue to be a part of the process.
District Three Alder Maureen Crombie thanked JCap for returning with a revised proposal. At the end of the meeting, Crombie recommended city staff look into long-and-short-term solutions for parking in the area.
While the downtown parking and traffic situation may be addressed at a later date, JCap’s proposal will come before City Council for a final vote of approval at a future meeting.
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