Housing plan is a go

The first portion of the Stonewall Farms development in Grafton is moving forward, though neighbors are still concerned about how the 184 housing units will affect the area. 

A land annexation, rezone and preliminary plat for the development were approved by the Grafton Plan Commission during a Sept. 28 meeting where about a dozen neighbors of the development site spoke out in opposition of the project.

The development, divided into three phases, will eventually encompass 178 acres and bring an additional 350 housing units to the village in both single and shared homes.

The subdivision will be bordered by Highway 60 on the south, West Cedar Creek Road to the north, Keup Road to the west and Green Valley Road to the east, on what is currently agricultural land.

A primary concern of neighbors of the development site is that the development will greatly increase traffic in the area, particularly at the intersection of Highway 60 and Keup Road, creating an inconvenience to existing residents and posing potential safety issues. 

Director of Planning and Development  Jessica Wolff said during the Sept. 28 meeting that while traffic will likely increase because of the new homes, the study indicates that current infrastructure will be able to handle the increase.

“There will be more traffic as a result of this subdivision,” she said. “However more traffic does not mean that the area and the intersection is not safe, it does not mean the intersection is dangerous.”

The village contracted Traffic Analysis and Design Inc. to complete a traffic study, which found that existing infrastructure could handle increased traffic in the area without significant delay or safety risks. Several recommendations for improving safety and traffic flow such as dedicated right turn lanes and stop signs were included in the study.

The Department of Transportation also approved the preliminary plat of the development’s first phase on Sept. 20. 

TADI supplied a memo to its traffic study on Sept. 20 where it addressed comments made by concerned residents during a July 27 Plan Commission meeting where the development was discussed. 

One concern residents expressed during the meeting was that an estimated growth rate used in the study, developed from village traffic data from 1992 to 2019, was too low, and that growth in the village is much faster now than in the last 20 years. 

The TADI memo states that growth rates are bound to fluctuate year by year and that it is important to use an average of many years as an accurate metric. 

“Relying on a two-year period to establish a long-term growth rate is not accepted practice,” the memo stated. 

A concern was also raised during the meeting that increased traffic would lead to residential driveways being blocked by cars leaving neighborhoods along Keup Road. The memo stated TADI’s study found that traffic issues at the Keup Road and Highway 60 intersection are expected to be less than the distance from the stop sign to the first driveway in the neighborhood. 

Some residents also expressed concern that other new developments in the village, like expansion of the Cedarburg Business Park and Baehmann Property development, were not taken into consideration when creating the traffic study. 

The memo stated that as a whole, traffic along Highway 60 is likely to increase as a result of the developments, that the Keup Road intersection will not be greatly impacted. The study states that only 5% of the increased traffic is expected to use the intersection. 

Another concern residents have is that later phases of the development may not be finished and that a second regress point to West Cedar Creek Road will not be established, leaving the Highway 60 and Keup Road intersection as the only thoroughfare for both Cedarton Estates and Stonewall Farms. 

Neighbor Gordon Knuth questioned why the developer could not begin developing the northern part of the subdivision first to ensure the road will be built. 

Developer Robert Tillman said it will be more difficult to sell homes starting from the north end. “Sales from the south end are better,” he said. 

Wolff said that the development fits the village’s future land use map, the comprehensive plan and abides by density requirements. 

From traffic, to sewer lines, to water pressure, the village has determined that the Stonewall development is feasible and would not cause negative effect in the village, but some residents are not convinced. 

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Chris Cotton, a neighbor of the development, said he understands the data collected by the village indicating the intersection will handle the traffic but is concerned the development will diminish the quality of the area.

“It’s already a strained intersection with a lot of traffic flow from the growth in the community and we’re just concerned adding this amount of traffic in that intersection is going to be unsafe and not improve the quality of life in the community,” he said.