Downtown Plans Take a Step Forward

After receiving positive feedback from residents, Sussex officials are moving full speed ahead with the village's downtown redevelopment plans.

Officials are going to review two different plans for downtown over the next couple of months and hope to hold a formal public hearing on the issue in March or April.

The plans contain conceptual ideas for developing the former Mammoth Springs Cannery site, revamping the triangle intersection of Silver Spring Drive and Main Street, possibly renovating the grocery store and creating a civic campus that would include the public library, Village Hall, historical museum and park.

The village's Community Development Authority and consultant Scott Harrington, of Vandewalle & Associates in Madison, on Thursday reviewed verbal comments and formal written input from residents and business owners at a Feb. 3 open house at the Public Safety Building.

It was agreed that some concerns were expressed about various specific details of the plans, but that overall reaction was very positive.

One conceptual plan shows a reconfigured Silver Spring Drive that eliminates the so-called triangle intersection with Main Street, and instead brings Silver Spring to a standard four-way signalized intersection at the entrance to Village Hall and the library.

The other plan shows Silver Spring remaining roughly as it is, but has a different configuration for the location and size of the Piggly Wiggly store.

"If our basic objectives for redevelopment are on track, which I believe they are, then we should write the proposed plan to show that either Option A or Option B, or parts of each, meet those objectives, because both plans can," said Village President Tony Lapcinski, a member of the CDA.

"Both A and B meet the overall objectives of spurring private investment and development," Harrington said. "Both alignments of the creek work for Plan A or for Plan B, so there is no reason to eliminate either plan from consideration, or to not take bits and pieces of both depending on what opportunities present themselves."

However, he added: "I don't think you can take another six months to narrow it down to one concept and try to make everyone happy."

Harrington suggested officials move quickly with plans that are flexible enough to take advantage of timely opportunities.

"The grocery store is going to want to be talking about things soon, the cannery developer will want to talk about things soon, the underground creek pipe may fail soon, and you may need to move pretty fast within the context of a broad plan that is open to various options," he said.

"Among the key objectives is whether there is someone ready and willing to move on a development," Harrington said.

The CDA will spend the next couple of months reviewing the plans and will make a recommendation the Village Board in March or April, said Village Administrator Jeremy Smith. A public hearing would be held after that.