Germantown apartments would feature working farm
It’s not unusual for new housing developments to be built on former farms.
At Prairie Crossing, a northern Illinois development 13 miles south of the Wisconsin border, the homes and farm blend together — part of a growing number of “agrihoods” operating throughout the nation.
Meanwhile, a much smaller agrihood features 10 homes being built on a working farm in the Town of Mukwonago in Waukesha County.
Now, a new apartment proposal pending in Germantown would create southeastern Wisconsin’s first largescale agrihood — placing hundreds of residents next to a source of fresh fruit, vegetables and other farm products.
“It’s something different,” said Dean Wolter, Germantown Village Board president and Plan Commission chair.
Known as The Farm, it would create 256 residential units on 42 acres west of I-41, east of Townline Road and north of Freistadt Road. That site is now part of a farm that grows corn and raises beef cattle.
The Farm, proposed by Mequon-based Shaffer Development LLC, would have housing for both seniors and the general population. It would feature 16 two-story buildings, each with 16 units, and could include single-family homes.
The high-end development’s amenities would include a clubhouse with a gathering area, pool and exercise room.
But its signature features would be a working farm, public market and shared farm kitchen, according to a Plan Commission report.
Also, a farm-to-table restaurant would be available for residents and the general public.
The working farm could feature chickens and goats, as well as fruits and vegetables, including apple trees, according to the presentation Shaffer Development owner Cindy Shaffer-made to the Plan Commission on Monday.
Commission members were open to Shaffer’s conceptual plans, Wolter said.
“Overall, the concept is interesting,” he said.
But there are some concerns, Wolter said.
Many Germantown residents have opposed new apartments, especially north of Freistadt Road, he said.
Also, Shaffer is seeking around $5 million through tax district financing to extend village sewers and water mains to the site.
Germantown hasn’t used tax district financing for residential developments, Wolter said.
Those village funds would be repaid within about seven years through The Farm’s new property taxes, Shaffer said.
The project would have an estimated value of $37.2 million, with Shaffer Development using equity capital and a federally guaranteed loan to finance The Farm.
The Farm would help promote a sense of community among its residents, Shaffer said, while preserving a natural habitat.
It also would meet strong demand for new apartments, she said, generated by the growing number of jobs in Germantown.
It would likely take about a year to obtain village approvals for The Farm, Shaffer said.
She plans to hold community meetings to get input from residents before returning to the Plan Commission with a more detailed proposal. An open house is scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 2 at Germantown Community Library, N112W16957 Mequon Road.
Number of agrihoods growing
The number of agrihoods is growing throughout North America, according to a 2018 report from the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Land Institute.
The report found agrihoods in 27 U.S. states and Canadian provinces.
“People may not want to be personally engaged in agriculture every single day,” it said, “but they want high-quality food and agriculture to be part of their lives.”
One example is Agape Agrihood, with 10 single-family home lots on 36 acres south of Highway NN, just east of Red Brae Road, in the Town of Mukwonago.
Agape is being developed by Curt and Jodi Wiebelhaus. They built their house there last summer and this year began growing vegetables in Agape’s irrigated gardens.
All 10 lots have been sold, and seven homes have so far been built or are under construction, Curt Wiebelhaus said.
The development attracts people who want to experience a farm lifestyle without becoming full-time farmers, he said.
Agape’s residents can raise vegetables in the gardens. They also can use the shared barn for chickens, cattle and other livestock.
“It’s kind of neat in the morning seeing the cows in the pasture,” he said.
Gathering at canning parties
The shared farm experience brings residents together, Wiebelhaus said. One example was a recent Saturday “canning party” where homegrown vegetables were made into salsa and packaged.
“We’re seeing each other and building relationships,” he said.
Toby Hartman and his family were among those at the canning party. The Hartmans, including their two elementary school-aged children, moved to Agape in December from a home near Mukwonago High School.
The Hartmans enjoy the “wide-open spaces” as well as a community feeling that keeps their children active — including help with tending the vegetables.
“There’s always something to do outside,” he said.
Shaffer’s development would be southeastern Wisconsin’s first largescale agrihood.
Plans to create Cedar Vineyard, an upscale Port Washington housing project tied to a vineyard and winery, haven’t proceeded after Chicago-area developer Tom Swarthoutwas unable to close on buying the 227-acre lakefront site.
Also, Mandel Group Inc. in 2016 proposed The Farm at River Hills. It initially called for 400 housing units, with a small farm and orchard, on 53 acres in River Hills.
The firm eventually scaled that back to 154 apartments before dropping the proposal in 2018 because of strong opposition. An effort by the property owner to revive the proposal was unanimously rejected in May by the Village Board.
Other communities have welcomed large-scale agrihoods.
That includes Grayslake, Illinois, an outer Chicago suburb that is home to the Prairie Crossing development.
It has 359 houses, 36 condominiums, a handful of small businesses and even a charter school on nearly 700 acres.
Prairie Crossing was designed as a “conservation community,” with homes clustered near one another to better preserve wide swaths of open space.
It was developed in phases over several years, starting in the early 1990s, by attorney and steel company executive George Ranney and his wife, Vicky.
George Ranney’s uncle, Gaylord Donnelley, former chair of printing giant R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co., and other Lake County residents had bought the land to prevent it from being developed as a massive, sprawling subdivision, Vicky Ranney said.
“We thought there was a market out there for people who wanted something other than lots and lots of houses,” Vicky Ranney said.
The Prairie Crossing houses tend to be smaller than other nearby subdivision homes and have front porches. Many of the front yards feature prairie-style landscapes.
Walking trails run throughout Prairie Crossing. There’s a lake, with a sandy beach, named for Wisconsin conservationist Aldo Leopold.
Also, commuter rail runs to downtown Chicago, O’ Hare International Airport and other destinations.
An incubator for future farmers
What also sets apart Prairie Crossing is 98 acres of farmland, farm buildings and community gardens owned by Liberty Prairie Foundation.
The non-profit group’s operations include the Farm Business Development Center. It serves as an incubator for people who are considering becoming farmers, said Nathan Aaberg, the foundation’s director of conservation and working lands.
The foundation also owns the 40acre Prairie Wind Family Farm, which is operated by Jen Miller, the group’s director of farm entrepreneurship, and her husband, Jeff.
The Millers started farming in 2006 with a small plot through the Farm Business Development Center.
They grew their business before renting Prairie Wind. They moved with their two sons, now ages 14 and 10, to the farm’s house in 2012.
The Millers grow a variety of organic vegetables, much of them sold through subscription services to Prairie Crossing homeowners and other Chicagoarea residents. They also sell eggs from their brood of around 400 hens.
The Millers, who met while students at Beloit College, had other jobs before becoming farmers. Jeff was a landscape architect and Jen worked in marketing — including a stint at Milwaukee’s Hanson Dodge Inc.
They wanted to operate a business that would involve their children and have a positive community impact.
Farming, and especially Prairie Crossing, fit that bill.
Prairie Crossing residents often interact with Prairie Wind Family Farm, Aaberg said.
That includes hosting summer weekly pizza nights — where a portable oven bakes pizzas that feature the farm’s organic vegetables.
And, unlike the clashes that can occur between new subdivision residents and farmers, Prairie Crossing’s homeowners are OK with living near a working farm.
“Our neighbors understand our tractors are noisy,” Jen Miller said. “And we wake up early.”