Melissa Voss | Editor
During Hartford’s city council meeting on Tuesday, July 21, Costello Companies appeared before the city council asking for amendments to the Western Meadows preliminary plan.
Western Meadows is a development north of I-90 on Western Avenue and stops at Mickelson Road. Costello Companies is the property management company that is overseeing the development, which started back in 2014. Western Meadows is nearing Phase 4 of development.
Bonnie Mogen, director of development at Costello Companies, brought about four requests to the council: the elimination of the extension of the water and sewer services and eliminate the construction of a maintenance road from Ruud Trail to the I-90 ditch so that costs will be cheaper and further development of the south side of I-90 can be a future option for the city; eliminate a pedestrian block on the south side to prevent encouragement of going into industrial lots; eliminate Schaefer Lane in order to complete a Ruud Trail “loop’” and eliminate the 40-foot landscape buffer due to the land not being deep enough for development.
A further discussion of a fifth requisition with Mitch Mergen, Hartford’s city engineer, would be the elimination of Rudd Lane being extended to the north and connecting with Mickelson.
Longer discussion of the fourth request, the elimination of the 40-foot landscape buffer, was brought about by council member Mark Monahan of Ward 2, saying he does not see the benefit of eliminating the buffer, stating that the buffer would provide room for services such as snow removal.
Although the third request of having Shaefer Lane was passed by the council, several other areas were put on hold till the next city council meeting in order to have the council “absorb and think over” Costello’s proposals.