Officials like plan for townhouses on restaurant site

A housing development planned for the lot of the former Señor Luna restaurant has cleared its first step, paving the way for a project village leaders say will build on 20 years of revitalization efforts in Grafton.

Aaron Matter of Matter X LLC is seeking village approval to construct three townhome buildings on the 2185 Wisconsin Ave. site — two containing six units and the third containing four.

Each 1,900-square-foot unit will have two bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, a flex space and an attached one-car garage.

Village President Jim Brunnquell said the new buildings will be one of the first things people driving into the village from Cedarburg will see, and that he is eager to complete another “gateway project.”

“I think this could be a great opportunity to really impress people with what the village has been doing over the last 20 years,” he said.

The Village of Grafton Plan Commission approved a recommendation to the Village Board that the .8-acre lot at 2185 Wisconsin Ave. be rezoned from commercial mixed use to planned unit development Oct. 26.

The Village Board will consider the rezone during its November meeting.

The Plan Commission also considered approving a conditional use permit for the building for the project but voted to table the matter until building plans are finalized.

Brunnquell said because the shape of the lot is not a perfect square and narrows on one end where there is village right of way, Matter may be interested in straightening lot lines so it is more uniform.

The proposal was supported by Community Development Director Jessica Wolff, who said that straightening the property lines would greatly benefit the development.

“To have a more usable site, it would be in the village’s best interest to evaluate turning over some of this right of way to the applicant,” she said.

Matter said if bumping the lot line is possible, it may give the development room to create three 6-unit buildings rather than have one of the buildings limited to four.

“Because of how the site narrows at one end, we ended up cutting two units off of one building,” he said.

Wolff said the village will have to ensure there are no traffic safety issues with moving the lot line before moving forward with the change.

Both the Plan Commission and Architectural Review Board will consider approving the conditional use permit for the project during November meetings.