Sussex-based developer Sawall Development is proposing a mixed-use development in downtown Union Grove that will include 76 apartments and a commercial building on a site that has been targeted for development since 2012.
The village board, plan commission and community development authority chose Sawall’s proposal, to be called Mammoth Springs, earlier this month after hearing pitches from three developers for the four-acre site east of Main Street (Highway 45) at the intersection of State Street and Mill Avenue.
The property used to house a grain mill, the former village hall and a hotel.
Sawall is proposing the market-rate apartments in five two-story buildings and a sixth commercial building. There will be 42 two-bedroom apartments and 36 one-bedroom apartments.
Sawall is doing a similar development in Sussex. Representatives from the company could not immediately be reached for comment.
In 2012, Horizon Design Build Manage, of Sun Prairie, submitted a proposal to build a 24-unit senior housing project on the site. The proposal was later withdrawn by the developer.
In 2015, Kenosha-based Bear Development brought a 36-unit workforce housing proposal to the village. The proposal was denied by the village board. That same year, the village and the Racine County Economic Development Corporation (RCEDC) issued a request for qualifications for affordable senior housing on the site, but did not receive any applicants.
Since October 2015, RCEDC has contacted more than 40 developers resulting in the three proposals that were considered earlier this month: the Sawall proposal; a plan to build multi-unit housing for seniors, young professionals and students by La Crosse-based Gerrard Companies; and a proposal by Union-Grove-based Oak Ridge for a skilled, long-term care center.
The group strongly considered the Oak Ridge proposal, which includes one 28-unit building with the possibility of a second building, and asked if they would consider building the facility at a different site in the village, said Jill Kopp, village clerk and treasure.
“We don’t have a specific site, it was more of an off the cuff comment made at the meeting,” Kopp said. “But the village does own other property and there are other properties for sale and sites that could potentially be used.”
