Sun Prairie’s Plan Commission on Tuesday denied a development proposal for a Cobblestone Hotel and high-rise apartment building on the site of an explosion that killed firefighter Cory Barr, according to Channel3000. The Commission voted 5–1 to deny the proposal from JCAP Development.
Some concerns centered on the building’s height; current zoning rules allow for four stories, but Sun Prairie Mayor Paul Esser asked JCAP to make the building six stories tall instead to help address the city’s housing shortage. The six-story building would have housed 149 mixed-use apartment units. Some residents objected to the plans.
A number of downtown business owners supported plans for the four-story, 63-room hotel, however, saying it would bring much-needed economic revitalization.
Other residents expressed concerns regarding parking and traffic; JCAP Developers said it proposed underground parking and paid for a traffic impact study.
The developer also would have included a memorial for Cory Barr.
The Plan Commission ultimately sided with area homeowners; JCAP plans to regroup and discuss next steps.
