By Ryan Whisner
The city of Fort Atkinson continued a path of growth with the Fort Atkinson Council’s approval of an annexation of two properties along Campus Drive.
The properties – W6490 and W6492 Campus Drive – are located adjacent to the Fort Atkinson High School property and just south of what the city refers to as the Banker Road land.
The council unanimously approved the annexation and related agreement, which had been approved by the State Department of Administration and appeared to not be controversial as it had received no public input.
According to Fort Atkinson City Manager Rebecca Houseman LeMire, the two parcels were purchased by Tip of the Spear LLC in May 2021 with the goal of urban development within the city.
LeMire noted that the request for annexation was reviewed and approved by the State Department of Administration and the Fort Atkinson Planning Commission.
Also, the Fort Atkinson Comprehensive Plan shows the future land use of these parcels as “Planned Neighborhood,” which is described as a carefully planned mix of primarily single-family residential development, including some two-family, multi-family residential, and neighborhood businesses uses consistent with the residential character of the area and retaining the city’s existing balance of residential types.
Per the annexation, the property will be zoned RS-2, Single-family Residential – 2. This zoning designation allows the continued use of the single-family dwelling on each parcel. However, in the future, depending on the planned uses, the zoning may be changed to a denser residential or mixed-use zoning district.
Upon further review by city staff, an outstanding special assessment was found on the parent parcel from which the two parcels had been split in the early 2000s.
“This is a unique situation,” LeMire said. “There was a parent parcel that the special assessment is levied against. That parent parcel was split, and these two parcels benefit from the infrastructure improvements but there is no special assessment on these two parcels.”
The deferred special assessment was for water, sewer, sidewalk, and road improvements to Campus Drive completed in 1999 and totaled $39,713.
To address the situation, city staff negotiated an annexation agreement to address the special assessment and the use of private well and septic by the two single family dwellings that are on the two parcels.
Per the agreement approved by the council, LeMire said the property owner has agreed to pay for half of the special assessment or $19,857 over 10 years upon annexation.
“The agreement outlines that the single-family homes may continue to be occupied under the current city zoning ordinance while located within the city on private well and private septic until such time that the parcels are redeveloped in concert with the city’s comprehensive plan or by June 30, 2025,” LeMire said. Should the two homes still exist and be occupied as of June 30, 2025, those homes will be required to hook into city sewer and water at the expense of the property owner.
The city manager said that nothing in the agreement prohibits the houses or the property owner from hooking them up into city water and sewer ahead of that date.
“The goal of this was to not unnecessarily have the property owner pay to hook into water and sewer for these two houses if they were going to be demolished and redeveloped within the next three to four years,” LeMire said. “The agreement is a way for these two parcels that benefit from the infrastructure improvements to pay for a portion of the special assessment.”
She said the remainder of the special assessment will remain outstanding against the parent parcel which is located along Banker Road in the town of Koshkonong.
Based on the pending development of the 75-acre parcel the city acquired near the intersection of Banker and Hoard roads in 2019, it is anticipated that additional property along Banker Road will eventually be annexed into the city at some point in the future.
An intergovernmental agreement between the city and the town of Koshkonong was approved as part of the Banker Road property annexation, which permits owners of the remaining properties in the vicinity of the Banker Road land to pursue annexation without any contestation from the town.
City of Fort Atkinson Municipal Building, file photo/Kim McDarison.
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