Damakant Jayshi
A Wausau business is one step closer to adding more than 100 housing units on the city’s west side, after a Plan Commission meeting Wednesday.
Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co. intends to build 108 multi-family housing units on company-owned property on the east side of 8th Avenue, just across the street from their main manufacturing plant.
Doing so requires changing the zoning from the current single family residential, two-flat residential and neighborhood mixed use category to planned unit development.
Mike Tomsyck, vice-president of finance at Kolbe & Kolbe, termed the project “cost-effective” housing, something between affordable housing and market rate residences in the city. He said some of the company’s employees drive 40 miles to work, which can be a significant hardship. Tomscyk said his company and others in the area have struggled to attract employees to Wausau because not everyone is enthused about driving for long hours to reach a workplace and Wausau lacks units that are affordable to employees.
Three-story buildings are planned, with parking lots. The units will be open to more than just Kolbe & Kolbe employees, Tomscyk said.
Alder Lou Larson, who represents the area in his Dist. 10, said that he attended the neighborhood meeting on the proposal and was surprised to see enthusiastic support for it. He added some residents even offered their property for sale for the project. Plan Commission members also praised the proposal and approved the general development plan.
The commission will subsequently have to approve the detailed plan and the City Council will take a final look at it.
