CEDARBURG, Wis. — The Cedarburg Common Council has shelved a proposal to build nearly 400 single-family homes on farmland along Highway 60, a decision neighbors are welcoming as a sign the city is listening to growth concerns.
The council last week denied annexing the land into the city, effectively putting the project from Neumann Developments, Inc. on hold. Developing the land remains part of Cedarburg's Smart Growth Plan.
Watch Alex Gaul's report in the video player below:
Mayor Pat Thome said neighbor feedback played a role in the decision, though she was clear the proposal itself had no fundamental flaws.
"Let's measure it with the properties that are within the city limits at this point in time, and take it a step at a time," Thome said.
For residents like Robin Bilsborough, the pause is exactly what the city needs before adding more housing supply to an area already straining under recent growth.
"You absolutely need infrastructure before you jump into more development because our schools, our roads, all need to be able to handle that capacity," Bilsborough said. "(The traffic on Highway 60) has become quite a crawl at certain times of the day."
The decision comes after years of controversy over development in Cedarburg. In recent years, the city approved multiple luxury apartment developments near downtown, drawing criticism from residents who felt growth was outpacing the city's ability to support it.
Thome acknowledged the city still needs to grow to sustain funding for city services and schools, but she said the pace matters.
"We're still going to have growth that falls within our 1% to 1.6% targeted range that we'd like to see each year. That's the type of growth we can handle," Thome said.
Bilsborough echoed that measured approach.
"Take some time to assess what's already been happening before we jump into the next development stage," Bilsborough said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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