A proposed development between West Wind Drive and Highway 47 would potentially bring four multi-family, three townhomes, five duplex, and 22 single-family units to the City of Rhinelander.
Before that can move forward, the developer needs the land to be rezoned from light industrial to mixed residential.
The change unanimously passed the city’s planning commission.
City council unanimously approved the first reading of the ordinance that would allow the change but stopped short of waiving the second reading.
“I think it's prudent to have the second reading and give us more time to talk to the people that are down there and really get their side of things,” said Alderperson Tom Barnett.
A couple of West Wind residents spoke at the city council meeting about their concerns over the development.
West Wind Drive is about 1,000 feet long with a dozen houses.
Those that spoke at the meeting said they understood the need for housing, but had concerns about things like safety, increased traffic, wetlands, and utilities.
“How are the utilities going to be run? Are they all going to be going through or just extending out from West Wind neighborhood? Are they pulling in something from Hanson Lake? Again, operating under an information gap.”
Right now, city council is just considering the zoning change. If that goes through, the developer will still need to go through several steps to build.
The council is expected to take up the second reading of the zone change ordinance at its next meeting.
Baird and Lincoln Intersection
Also at last week’s Rhinelander City Council meeting, the council approved the first reading of an ordinance to change the intersection of Baird and Lincoln Street.
There’s been 20 crashes at the intersection since 2016, according to city records.
Rhinelander Police Captain Chad Brown told council many of them were from people trying to turn left onto Lincoln Street.
The ordinance change would make it so people can only turn right from Baird onto Lincoln.
There will be a second reading at the next city council meeting.
