Sheboygan Plan Commission approves Malibu Apartments development plan, although opposition continues

SHEBOYGAN – The City Plan Commission approved submitted plans for the Malibu Apartments project last week, despite persisting scrutiny from residents and community members.

Developers for the 215-unit luxury apartment complex received initial approval for general and specific implementation development plans for Kite Beach, a contaminated site formerly occupied by Optenberg Iron Works .

“This project will help bring hundreds of people, who otherwise might not ever have this opportunity, to live right on Sheboygan’s most plentiful natural resource — Lake Michigan,” Malibu Apartments, LLC said in a letter to the city.

The apartment complex proposes to provide “opportunities for a high quality of life” with “breathtaking water views and seamless connectivity to Kite Beach, South Pier, King Park, and South Sheboygan areas.”

Malibu Apartments has a nautical design in the spirit of Sheboygan’s lakefront and hopes to provide a space for residents to connect with nearby nature, according to the application. It plans to bring a waterfront restaurant, a workout area with views of the lake and a pool. There could also be outdoor recreational equipment, like surf boards, paddle boards and kayaks.

“Enhancing the beach community by bringing more people to the shores of Lake Michigan to live at a property that purposely focuses on holistic wellness is a goal and overall ‘Theme’ of our project,” is another positive attribute of the apartments, according to the application.

City staff expressed support of the project in the application, noting it could revitalize the site that has been vacant for two decades, provide more housing options and increase the city’s tax base.

Commission member Marilyn Montemayor said she approved the project in light of the recent housing study that projected need for 1,300 up to 5,200 housing units when considering local employer interviews.

“This would be a drop in the bucket, but it will help,” Montemayor said at the meeting.

Commission member Braden Schmidt asked several questions about erosion, stormwater runoff and biking considerations before expressing support for the project. He said he still had some concerns but wanted it to proceed to the Common Council.

“When we have an opportunity to add housing as infill on existing infrastructure within the city instead of on green field development on the edges on infrastructure that has not yet been built, generally I’m going to be one to support that,” he said.

Despite the housing boost and luxury appeal, some community members are not convinced it’s the right fit for the neighborhood.

Lora Hagen said she, among other residents, is worried about considerations for plans for potential water runoff from impervious surfaces and erosion.

“Now that the city has built, and is in the process of building huge apartment buildings, some right up to the sidewalk, we are having concerns about how close to the water it’s going to be, what they’re going to have to do to build on the beach or back from the beach to stop erosion or wave activity and whether the beach will still be usable.”

One example is View 14 Apartments, a 48-unit housing complex near Indiana Avenue, right up against a sidewalk on part of South 14th Street.

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Jake Buswell, partner with Malibu Apartments, LLC, said the group isn't pursuing wave revetments because the city owns the beachfront up to where the apartments will go, and the property line is more than 80 feet away from the ordinary high water mark, which can call for establishing a boundary between public land and private properties.

As for storm water runoff, Buswell said the group is working with STANTEC on a detention piping system that would collect, treat and release the excess water.

In line with state and federal standards, he said the “site can’t end worse off than to begin with.”

Some community members still pushing against the apartment complex's size

Residents continue to be concerned about the size of the project.

Divided into two phases of construction, the five-story Malibu Apartments is expected to bring 215 housing units, nearly 290 parking spaces (inside the building, on a surface lot and on the street) and a roughly 3,750-square-foot space for a restaurant.

The total project’s area is about 239,000 square feet, with the main level at roughly 67,650 square feet.

John Dolson said he doesn’t think the Malibu Apartments project is “practical” for the size of the lot. He shared at the City Plan Commission meeting he reviewed plans for the housing development proposed in the early 2000s when he served on the Architectural Review Board.

The rendering was more “scalable to the neighborhood, it was much smaller,” he said.

A former resident of the neighborhood, Jim Van Akkeren said he feels the project prioritizes economic incentives over social and cultural characteristics of the neighborhood, primarily single- and dual-family homes.

“My family has lived in this neighborhood for over 80 years,” Van Akkeren said. “Our length of time there does not mean we have any special privilege, but it does mean we understand the social makeup of the neighborhood.”

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Van Akkeren suggested building smaller dwellings on the site, like the Portscape Apartments near Blue Harbor Resort.

“Malibu Apartments is a very complex project due to many factors including the contamination and inadequate subsoils,” the developers said in a letter. “For this project to be financially viable we need to achieve approval for the submitted density, parking, setbacks and height for this project to move forward.”

City Administrator Casey Bradley previously said at a Feb. 19 Common Council meeting the project is most viable at a high density because of the associated costs of site cleanup. The project could already have a $10 million loss.

Traffic patterns won't change on South Seventh Street, at least for now

With a variety of studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments, residents are worried about traffic congestion along South Seventh Street.

The project proposes nearly 215 parking stalls in the first phase and 75 parking stalls in the second phase of construction in the building garage, surface lot and street parking.

The application notes that parking-resident ratio is about one stall per housing unit for “urban setting like this with high walkability and located on a bus route.”

Site proposals have called for “extensive parking updates” along Georgia Avenue, South Seventh Street and Clara Avenue, and the removal of curbs and gutters for parking spaces.

Heidi Lese is concerned about the number of cars and parking the project will bring.

“That is one of my big concerns living in the area, the safety of kids,” Lese said. “There’s a lot of recreation in the area with biking.”

Mayor Ryan Sorenson previously said at a King Park Neighborhood Association meeting the city could conduct a traffic impact study near the proposed site.

Kevin Jump, city civil engineer and project manager, said at the July 9 meeting the city doesn’t have immediate plans to change traffic patterns on South Seventh Street but will monitor it.

As for bicyclists, Buswell said the property will have enclosed parking storage and repair areas. There was no discussion about changes bicyclists riding on the street may face.

Have a story tip? Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@gannett.com . Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @alexx_garner .

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan Plan Commission approves Malibu Apartments development plan, although opposition continues