Neighbors Raise Concerns About Proposed Rockport Road Housing

Proposed in the 100 and 200 block of Rockport Road and the 200 block of Riverside Street are a four-story building with 70 apartments and a two-story building with 8 townhomes. The site along the Rock River, near where S. Franklin St. runs into Rockport Road, is in the city’s Fourth Ward Neighborhood and has long held single-family homes.

A zoning change and conditional use permit are required from the city to allow multi-family housing on the site, the developer, Bear Development of Kenosha, that also has offices in Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison, said in a letter to neighborhood residents.

According to Bear Development’s website, www.beardevelopment.com, its recent projects include The Flats at 402, a new, 54-unit affordable housing development off Wilson Street in Madison, as well as new and redevelopment projects in Kenosha, Mount Pleasant, Milwaukee, Union Grove and Franklin, Wis.

Following conversations in June about the project between the developer and the city, some city residents said the proposed development would impede their ability to watch eagles and to see other wildlife in the area along the Rock River, and they were unhappy about the area being overtaken by new development.

Adam Templar, vice president of development for Bear Development, told those gathered Wednesday night that the firm tried to mitigate those concerns by adding significant greenspace and a riverwalk along the perimeter of the property.

He said Bear Development was attracted to the site due to its close vicinity to Wilson Elementary School, the downtown and many nearby city amenities.

Templar said neighborhood meetings such as those held Wednesday night are helpful, bringing to the forefront issues the firm may not have considered.

He said he had anticipated it would be emotional evening because it’s a big change for community members who care about the neighborhood and the city.

Templar stressed that the plans that have been shared so far are still initial concepts. He said concerns about traffic, the flood plain and other issues will be addressed as the project moves through the required city review process.

Many community members who spoke Wednesday night said that although there is a need for affordable housing in the city, they don’t see this as the best site for it.

Cassandra Pope, a neighborhood resident, said one of her concerns is safety with the traffic coming out of the complex. She said there are a lot of blind spots on Rockport Road and she said motorists often speed through the area.

Jessica Locher, the executive director of ECHO, noted that unfortunately developers are restricted to certain areas in the city that receive tax credits from the state, that help make them affordable to construct. She suggested that those with concerns reach out to their state legislators and advocate for more areas of land that qualify for tax credits.

In response to questions about the proposed apartments and townhomes being built in a 500-year flood plain along the Rock River, Templar said the proposed buildings would be 2-3 feet above the base flood elevation for a 100-year flood plain.

Josh Erdman, a community member, noted that this would be the only affordable housing project in the city built in a flood plain.

Pope said if the city approves the project, it would be putting already at-risk members of the community, who don’t have the money for extra flood insurance, at further risk of losing personal belongings and homes to flooding.

In October 2024 correspondence with an environmental engineering firm representing the developer, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources also noted the presence of contamination in soil and groundwater on the site.

“The DNR agrees that understanding current site conditions and potential risks is vital before redeveloping a property with significant CVOC contamination,” wrote Janet DiMaggio, a hydrogeologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Bureau for Remediation and Redevelopment/Environmental Management Division.

City council president Dave Marshick reminded those in attendance that the developer still has many different levels of city approval to work through. He assured community members that the council will not make a decision that would put the safety of future residents of the development and of the surrounding neighborhood at risk.

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