The River Falls Plan Commission unanimously forwarded a final plat that would create 32 lots including 30 single-family housing units, a project to provide supportive housing for adults with autism and a pre-existing residence during the May 7 meeting.

The final plat will be heard by the River Falls City Council during the May 28 meeting.

City Planner Harley Mehlhorn, who presented the final plat to the commission, shared that the planned location for the lots is half a mile south of Cemetery Road on the east side of State Highway 29. The site would span approximately 22.5 acres. The site is vacant with the exception of a single-family home that will remain, with development occurring around it.

The supportive housing facility would be 54 single-bedroom units located on the northeast corner of the plat.

“In addition to the units, the facility will also contain a number of amenities for residents including a cafeteria, salon, gift shop, main offices, a theatre, a sensory room, a school office, a gym, and more,” city documents state.

The applicant of the proposal is Red’s Place, whose mission is to “provide a safe and nurturing residential community that fosters independence, wellness, and self-value for adults with [autism spectrum disorder].”

According to the Red’s Place website, it was founded when Eric “Red” Bjerstedt was in the final days of a battle with brain cancer. Bruce Danielson, a childhood friend of Bjerstedt, promised to create a community in which people with autism spectrum disorder could live. Bjerstedt is the father of a daughter with autism.

The final plat comes with a requested subdivision variance approval for the length of roads that lead to dead end cul-de-sacs. The current requirements limit these roads to 1,000 feet, but the variance allows for up to 1,600.

When asked why the cul-de-sac length requirements exist in the first place, Mehlhorn gave a pair of reasons.

“One, to keep the interconnectedness of our roads,” Mehlhorn said. “Secondarily, it’s for emergency services not to have to go all the way down that dead end lot.”

The commission unanimously approved a special use permit for Red’s Place to be located in an R-2 Multiple-Family Residence District since it is categorized as supportive housing.

Mann Valley Corporate Park

The commission unanimously forwarded modifications to the final plat and rezoning of Mann Valley Corporate Park to the city council, where the first reading is expected May 28 and the second reading and disposition is expected June 25.

While the final plat and rezoning had already been approved by both the Plan Commission and the city council in November and December, an area of change caused the item to return to the agenda.

The area, which includes about 306 acres at County Highway U and Radio Road, experienced lot renumbering and restructuring. City documents state that plan adjustments include shortening the proposed Enterprise Street and relocating a stormwater pond in order to create a larger lot for development.

The zoning changes include the previous Lot 1 merging with the previous Lot 2 to become what is now Lot 2, with the lots for future development now sitting at three rather than four. Lot 1 is about 35 acres, Lot 2 is about 165 acres and Lot 3 is about 11 acres.

A question was raised about having a 165-acre lot, and whether a single tenant would be interested in the entirety of the space, to which Assistant Director of Community Development Emily Shively said there is interest, and this is the most flexible option.

“The idea is to have as much flexibility as possible, so to have as large of a continuous lot as possible,” Shively said. “We do have users who are interested in that much space as one lot.”

City documents state that despite the zoning classifications not changing in the modified area, designations of lots and outlots changed, so the rezoning needs new approval.

“The Final Plat will create a new outlot for the mound area; the zoning classification proposed for that area is Conservancy District which will allow for natural area preservation and future recreation access,” city documents state.

The remainder of the site will fall into the Corporate Park Zoning District.