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TO:

Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council

FROM:

Kelly Nieforth, Director of Community Development

DATE:

January 14, 2025

SUBJECT:

Res 25-20 Approve Preliminary Plat for the Creation of an 18-Lot Single-Family Residential Subdivision at the Former Washington School Property, 929 Winnebago Avenue (Plan Commission Recommends Approval)

BACKGROUND

The subject site is the former Washington Elementary School property which the City purchased from the Oshkosh Area School District in September of 2024. The 2.831-acre lot is located between Winnebago and School Avenues, with 552 feet and 430 feet of street frontage, respectively. The property was purchased to redevelop the site for single family housing which has been identified as a need in the Oshkosh Housing Plan. The school building is scheduled to be razed during the winter of 2025. The site will be completely cleared and prepped for this proposed development consisting of eighteen (18) new single-family residential lots.

The general area is predominantly a well-established single-family neighborhood with a scattering of two-family uses, a church to the east and some commercial establishments along Bowen Street. The Comprehensive Land Use Plan Map was amended in July of 2024, changing the recommended use from Institutional to Low-Density Residential to accommodate the redevelopment.

ANALYSIS

The preliminary plat utilizes the entire 2.831-acre lot and is proposed to be platted with 18 single-family lots. The proposed lots range in size from 5,548 square feet (0.127 acres) to 9,772 square feet (0.224 acres). Lot widths along Winnebago Avenue are proposed to be 55 feet in width (except Lot 18 which will be 59 feet) while the lots along School Avenue will be 52 feet (except Lot 1 which will be 66 feet). All the proposed lots meet the SR-9 minimum code requirements in regard to width (30 feet), depth (100 feet) and area (4,500 square feet) and is not out of character with other lots west and east of the site. With the proposed dwelling unit total of eighteen (18) units on the 2.831-acre area, the density for the development is considered low at approximately 6.4 units per acre (one unit per 6,852 square feet). The SR-9 zoning district has a maximum density of approximately 9 units per acre or one unit per 4,840 square feet.

The proposed plat does not have any new right-of-way dedications; the new lots will have direct street frontage to either Winnebago or School Avenue. The plat does not include area for parkland dedication. The City determined by use of the recently updated Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (CORP) that there are sufficient recreational facilities nearby. Instead of land dedication, the City will pay fees in-lieu-of which amounts to $7,200 ($400 per lot) to be used on future park improvements throughout the city.

After preliminary plat approval, the City will submit the Final plat for review and approval. Currently, plans for utility laterals for each lot and stormwater management are being designed and will be bid out by Spring for installation in Summer of 2025. Staff is proposing a workshop with Council in early 2025 to discuss the details of the housing program on the site to ensure the homes are sold as affordable to residents who earn within 80%-140% of the area’s median income of $100,000 ($80,000 to $140,000 annually). Habitat for Humanity will purchase nine (9) lots from the City over the next 4-6 years depending on their needs. The City will send out an RFP by Summer of 2025 for a master builder to construct homes on the city’s nine (9) lots in 2025 through 2026. The builder will utilize the city’s new design book that was created to provide home plans for new homes to be constructed on infill lots in the City and will blend in with the existing homes.

RECOMMENDATION

The Plan Commission recommended approval on January 7, 2025. Please see the attached staff report and meeting minutes for additional information.

Attachments

RES 25-20

Washington School Preliminary Plat Attachment