City Plan Commission Approves Rezoning And Future Land Use Map Amendment Associated With Proposed Development Of Thrivent Property

The City Plan Commission met 07/24/2024 and held three public hearings on three action items related to the Thrivent property near Highway 41 on the north side of Appleton. Thrivent was asking for a update to the city’s Future Land Use Map and an amendment to the Planned Development Overlay District associated with their land as well as the rezoning of some of the parcels on the property from AG Agricultural District to R-2 Two-family District.

These changes were a first step toward implanting a multi-year, possibly multi-decade, redevelopment project that will reshape Thrivent’s property. The concept master plan for the land envisions mixed-use development of office and retail buildings along Highway 41, a shopping and business corridor to the north, and then a mix of single-family, multi-family apartments, townhomes, and mixed-use commercial/residential buildings. They plan to build a new Thrivent headquarters and repurpose the old one.

Throughout all of this would be “open spaces, parks, trails, and pathways […] promoting outdoor activities and connectivity for the residents, employees, and visitors alike.”

It was noted that this master plan was conceptual in nature and subject to change.

The commission unanimously recommended all items for approval, and they will go to the Common Council on 09/04/2024.

I’ve prepared a transcript of the discussion for download:

The meeting was in some respects uneventful. Public hearings were held for all three items. A Thrivent representative and a representative of the master developer for the project both appeared and spoke. Emily Cialdini, the master developer, highlighted the fact that the plan offered a mix of employment, retail, dining, shopping, and housing options. The housing options themselves ranged from single-family homes on a variety of lot sizes to apartments and townhomes.

Ms. Cialdini also highlighted the efforts they had taken to engage with the community and take their feedback while they were crafting the plan. In fact, there is a website regarding the Thrivent development that provides an overview of the plan and through which people can provide additional feedback. (https://www.thriventdevelopment.com/)

She noted that community members and neighbors had expressed concern about the impact on traffic this development would have. She said that Thrivent had hired a consultant to conduct a traffic impact analysis that would recommend traffic improvements to be incorporated into the project as it was built out.

Three members of the public spoke on the matter.

Bob lives on Apple Creek Road. He was one of the people concerned about traffic impacts and thought that it might be beneficial to put a roundabout in the intersection of Appleton Creek Road and JJ to ease the congestion that residents already experience in the area.

Colin lives on Silverleaf Court just east of Ballard Road and was worried about how the development, particularly the addition of commercial buildings and a hotel on the west side of Ballard Road across from his neighborhood, would impact property values. He wondered if it would be possible to maintain the natural beauty of that section of the development by altering where the hotel and commercial buildings were located.

Ben Evens with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources indicated that the DNR had an air monitoring station on the land and wondered if the zoning change would impact their ability to be located there. He also raised the possibility of opening the monitoring site to the public in some way so they could see the equipment and learn about nature.

Most of the concerns raised pertained more to the site plan and concept rather than the specific items being voted on by the committee, although Mayor Woodford stressed that those concerns had been heard. He encouraged people to speak with Thrivent’s development team.

The one question raised that pertained to the items on the table was the question of how the rezoning would impact the DNR’s monitoring station. Principal Planner Don Harp said that the change to a Residential R-2 zoning would not impact, because both the existing zoning district and the new zoning district permitted governmental facilities. The status of the monitoring station was between the governmental agency and the property owner.

Alderperson Patrick Hayden, the alderperson for District 7 in which the Thrivent land is located, thanked Thrivent for gathering community input and making an effort to incorporate greenspace in the development. He asked them to continue to seek community feedback and keep residents in the loop as the development moved forward over the next decade.

The commission voted unanimously to approve all related items, and they will go to the Common Council for final approval on 09/04/2024.

View full meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1201877&GUID=C01BB33B-99C6-4BDB-94C3-750B88B1F8A3