Plans for a mixed-use development in Verona have been paused after city leaders said developer Forward Development Group did not provide sufficient parking, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. The proposal would replace a large patch of asphalt at 511 W. Verona Ave. with a 200-person, 14,821-square-foot event center and a 116-unit apartment building.
The 6–2 Verona City Council downvote follows months of discussion among members of the council and plan commission over shared parking agreements they viewed as conditional or short-term, rather than long-lasting. Officials also voiced concerns about the availability of parking for residents of nearby apartments who would share the lot, which would be 244 spots short with the addition of the event center. The parking lot is also used by three other mixed-use developments.
City staff estimate that the event center parking alone is short 176 spaces and want to see parking agreements that run for a minimum of 20 years. Forward has established parking agreements with two nearby hotels for five years and the Sugar River United Methodist Church for 10 years, with the condition that the developer repave the latter facility’s parking lot.
