ST. CROIX FALLS, Wis. — A developer set to build 12 homes on the bank of the St. Croix River calls the structures eco-friendly and sustainable, but the developer's vision has drawn cries of disapproval from locals who see it as an encroachment on the federally protected waterway.
The EcoRiver development by GreenHalo Builds of Stillwater doesn't yet have final approvals, but city officials have been moving ahead with necessary steps to get them there, including planning the needed infrastructure and considering a zoning change that would allow the homes to stand closer to the river than typically allowed.
"Nobody wants it," said resident Jerry Kingery, who along with about 20 other opponents appeared before the St. Croix Falls Plan Commission on Monday night as the body considered the developer's zoning change request. Kingery lives on North Hamilton Street near the proposed site of EcoRiver, and like many of his neighbors fears the project will bring traffic and construction noise while disrupting the scenic riverfront.
It's not just a local squabble: The project's location makes it the latest test in a long-running battle up and down the St. Croix Valley between developers and river stewards who want to see the waterway left as is.
The project would sit just upriver from Gaylord Nelson Park, named for the Wisconsin governor and U.S. senator who is considered the father of Earth Day. It was Nelson who, along with the late Vice President Walter Mondale, wrote the landmark 1968 federal legislation naming the St. Croix River a wild and scenic riverway, a designation meant to preserve wilderness and limit development.
The river's designation serves as a guide, but not a rule, for the city as it balances the forces of preservation and development, said St. Croix Falls City Administrator Joel West. "The city must balance these two elements as it provides services to its residents and development as a city," he wrote in a May 13 note to city officials.
GreenHalo Builds CEO John Sharkey said he sees the St. Croix Falls project as a set of highly efficient houses using sustainable and healthy products. The houses could be built "net-zero ready," capable of running on solar panels. Each building site would have 50 feet of riverfront, and the owners could apply to the Department of Natural Resources to install docks. After hearing opposition at Monday night's Plan Commission meeting, Sharkey said he's sympathetic to people who live nearby.
"I understand their view, but they're not seeing what we could make this: a really cool community of healthy, energy-efficient homes," he said.