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Housing facility targeted for Lullabye site

By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
A senior housing development is proposed for the old Lullabye Furniture Co. on the block north of CenterPoint MarketPlace along CenterPoint Drive.

Gerrard Corp., La Crosse, unveiled plans for the $3 million development at the Stevens Point Plan Commission Monday, Dec. 3, saying the project would provide affordable housing for the elderly.

The project called for a four-story, 48-unit housing facility, plus office space and a parking garage on the first floor. Tenants must be 55 years or older, and their income is limited, with a single person limited to annual income of $23,500.

Paul Gerrard said the development is contingent upon the firm receiving a WHEDA Affordable Housing Tax Credit and needs city support prior to applying for the credit. The commission recommended that the Common Council support the project.

Gerrard said the facility will have 36 two-bedroom apartments and 12 one-bedroom apartments, and each apartment will also have a den, which could possibly be used as a bedroom. He said their would be 99 parking stalls for the facility, 34 of them in the building.

The facility would face to the west, with a driveway, an extension of Meadow Street, splitting the development from undeveloped land to the west on the site. The development will encompass about one acre of the four-acre site, Gerrard said.

He said the firm hopes to begin construction next fall, probably in September, if the project is approved. The firm also has proposed a project in Plover that is contingent upon approval of WHEDA funds.

The firm is developing a similar project in La Crosse, he said, and the concept of putting housing in a downtown tract rather than going to the edge of a community has worked extremely well, he said.

In August, Michael Schroeder of Hoisington Koegler Group Inc., which is making a downtown directional study for Stevens Point, suggested that a residential component be added to the downtown.

John Gardner, director of planning and community development for Stevens Point, said the proposed Gerrard project would fit the concepts of that suggestion, while also providing affordable housing.

Another of those concepts, Gardner said, involves moving CenterPoint Drive one block north to Portage Street to include more property for development into the downtown area. The Gerrard proposal also fits into that concept, with some adjustments, he said.

One concern about the proposal, he said, involves the roadway that would be an extension of Meadow Street, although it could be relocated to avoid its use as a street. That will be addressed in future detailed plans, he said.

Gardner said the Gerrard firm has also requested a special crosswalk from the building across CenterPoint to the mall, which is being studied.

Aldermen Elbert Rackow and Bernice Sevenich suggested that the building might include retail space, possibly a grocery or convenience store, which is missing from the downtown.

"That's not a city project," Mayor Gary Wescott pointed out. "It's a development project."

The building would have a peak of about 55 or 60 feet, and was moved to the south side of the parcel so houses on Portage Street would get sunlight, Gardner said.

Jim Guzman, who owns the adjacent Guzman Building at the corner of Union Street and CenterPoint, said he is concerned about the four-story building being too close to his building, which has windows on its west side. His tenants, he said, "won't be able to see the sky."

The building meets or exceeds requirements for setbacks based on the zoning for the site, Gardner said, but Gerrard said the development firm would discuss options with Guzman about his concerns.

The Lullabye site used to house the Lullabye Furniture Co., a manufacturer of juvenile furniture. Lullabye was started in the 1890s by John J. Bukolt who invented the automatic cradle.

The site has been vacant since the mid-1990s, when the old factory was torn down. Some of the bricks from the factory were subsequently used on projects at Point Co-op and St. Peter Catholic Church, which were constructed with bricks from the same quarry.

When the Lullabye site was vacated, tests also indicated contamination of soil on the site, and Gerrard said the firm is exploring soil tests to see if the contamination remains.



	Housing facility targeted for Lullabye site By GENE KEMMETER of The Gazette A senior housing development is proposed for the old Lullabye Furniture Co. on the block north of CenterPoint MarketPlace along CenterPoint Drive. Gerrard Corp., La Crosse, unveiled plans for the $3 million development at the Stevens Point Plan Commission Monday, Dec. 3, saying the project would provide affordable housing for the elderly. The project called for a four-story, 48-unit housing facility, plus office space and a parking garage on the first floor. Tenants must be 55 years or older, and their income is limited, with a single person limited to annual income of $23,500. Paul Gerrard said the development is contingent upon the firm receiving a WHEDA Affordable Housing Tax Credit and needs city support prior to applying for the credit. The commission recommended that the Common Council support the project. Gerrard said the facility will have 36 two-bedroom apartments and 12 one-bedroom apartments, and each apartment will also have a den, which could possibly be used as a bedroom. He said their would be 99 parking stalls for the facility, 34 of them in the building. The facility would face to the west, with a driveway, an extension of Meadow Street, splitting the development from undeveloped land to the west on the site. The development will encompass about one acre of the four-acre site, Gerrard said. He said the firm hopes to begin construction next fall, probably in September, if the project is approved. The firm also has proposed a project in Plover that is contingent upon approval of WHEDA funds. The firm is developing a similar project in La Crosse, he said, and the concept of putting housing in a downtown tract rather than going to the edge of a community has worked extremely well, he said. In August, Michael Schroeder of Hoisington Koegler Group Inc., which is making a downtown directional study for Stevens Point, suggested that a residential component be added to the downtown. John Gardner, director of planning and community development for Stevens Point, said the proposed Gerrard project would fit the concepts of that suggestion, while also providing affordable housing. Another of those concepts, Gardner said, involves moving CenterPoint Drive one block north to Portage Street to include more property for development into the downtown area. The Gerrard proposal also fits into that concept, with some adjustments, he said. One concern about the proposal, he said, involves the roadway that would be an extension of Meadow Street, although it could be relocated to avoid its use as a street. That will be addressed in future detailed plans, he said. Gardner said the Gerrard firm has also requested a special crosswalk from the building across CenterPoint to the mall, which is being studied. Aldermen Elbert Rackow and Bernice Sevenich suggested that the building might include retail space, possibly a grocery or convenience store, which is missing from the downtown. "That's not a city project," Mayor Gary Wescott pointed out. "It's a development project." The building would have a peak of about 55 or 60 feet, and was moved to the south side of the parcel so houses on Portage Street would get sunlight, Gardner said. Jim Guzman, who owns the adjacent Guzman Building at the corner of Union Street and CenterPoint, said he is concerned about the four-story building being too close to his building, which has windows on its west side. His tenants, he said, "won't be able to see the sky." The building meets or exceeds requirements for setbacks based on the zoning for the site, Gardner said, but Gerrard said the development firm would discuss options with Guzman about his concerns. The Lullabye site used to house the Lullabye Furniture Co., a manufacturer of juvenile furniture. Lullabye was started in the 1890s by John J. Bukolt who invented the automatic cradle. The site has been vacant since the mid-1990s, when the old factory was torn down. Some of the bricks from the factory were subsequently used on projects at Point Co-op and St. Peter Catholic Church, which were constructed with bricks from the same quarry. When the Lullabye site was vacated, tests also indicated contamination of soil on the site, and Gerrard said the firm is exploring soil tests to see if the contamination remains.