Waukesha - A proposed 42-unit residential building on W. Main St. in downtown Waukesha can be built 25 feet from the Fox River rather than the minimum requirement of 75 feet under a variance granted Monday by the Board of Zoning Appeals.
The Kendal Lofts, which could be sold as condos eventually, would be built at the site of the vacant former O'Brien Photography building and an adjacent smaller sign shop. The existing structures are about 20 feet from the river.
Developer Ken Miller of The Kendal Group Ltd., which has built and manages hundreds of units primarily in the Milwaukee area, intends to build a three-story building of one- and two-bedroom units with inside parking on the ground level.
The Plan Commission in September gave preliminary approval to a conditional use permit for the project, needed because the business zoning district requires some retail use in combination with residential use, and no retail is proposed. The commission asked Miller to come back with a variance and plans for additional parking before it gives final approval.
In response to earlier concerns, Miller reduced the building from four residential stories to three and designed a flat rather than pitched roof.