The village of Thiensville could be the latest Milwaukee-area suburb to see the development of a pocket neighborhood.
Mequon-based Lakeside Development Co. Inc., the company behind another pocket neighborhood in Mequon, is proposing to build a 16-home pocket neighborhood subdivision at the site of a vacant bank building northeast of Riverview Drive and Green Bay Road, according to village documents.
A pocket neighborhood is pedestrian oriented, with smaller lots and homes. This neighborhood, dubbed Village Green, will have lots ranging from 3,056-3,276 square feet on a parent 1.8-acre parcel. The two-story houses will total approximately 2,000 square feet and have two-car garages.
A private street and sidewalks would run down the middle of the site, providing access to Riverview Drive. A homeowners association would oversee lawn care and snow removal.
The village Plan Commission on Tuesday will consider rezoning measures for the project. The Village Board would grant final approval on the rezoning.
In application documents, Lakeside states the project will increase the assessed value of the property by more than $7 million. It is now assessed at nearly $388,000.
The building was formerly an M&I bank branch but has been vacant for roughly 12 years, Lakeside states.
Lakeside anticipates demand for the new homes will come from renters of nearby apartment buildings. The company sates that would-be home buyers around Thiensville are limited mainly to older homes that could require significant updating. They may also not want the responsibility of yard upkeep. The pocket neighborhood solves both those issues, according to the company.
The greater number of units also makes the redevelopment project feasible, Lakeside states.
“Constructing smaller homes on smaller lots allows more compact development, which uses land efficiently and can offer greater access to amenities,” Lakeside states. “Living in smaller homes requires more places to go to get out of the house, so residents tend to spend more time socializing with neighbors.”
Representatives of Lakeside did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Village Green would be the first pocket neighborhood for Thiensville, according to a village staff report. The project would require a site rezoning for residential units, plus a zoning overlay district to allow for the proposed density, lot sizes and yard sizes.
“Staff feels this project is ideal for the village as it is close to the business community, which promotes walking resulting in less vehicle trips as would otherwise be necessary if this project were located further from the village center,” the report states.
Lakeside aims to secure all local approvals by February, commence demolition and construction work in June and complete the project within 18 to 24 months of the approval date.
The project is at least the third proposed pocket neighborhood for suburban Milwaukee.
Lakeside is also developing a 23-home pocket neighborhood at the Foxtown mixed-use development in Mequon. And developer Scott Simon of Winter Fields LLC is building the 16-home Cottage Commons pocket neighborhood in Brookfield.
