La Crosse Council committee deadlocks on Rose Street apartment plan

A new attempt to develop apartments on a block of La Crosse’s Rose Street raises concerns among neighbors and city officials. 

The city is being asked to approve a zoning change for a 12-unit building in the 200 block of Rose.  Council members reviewed basically the same project in 2020.

Neighbors are worried about possible flooding, lack of parking space, and the undeveloped condition of the property.

“I think that the neighbors have brought up some very valid concerns,” said council president Barb Janssen, who represents that neighborhood. “Concerns that they brought up two-and-a-half years ago are now even more concerning, given the care of the property the last two-and-a-half years.

The judiciary committee deadlocked on the zoning change by a 3-3 vote. The proposal will move to the full council meeting on April 13th without a recommendation.

In other committee business, a liquor license for the former fish lab building in Riverside Park was okayed on Tuesday.

The application is for a beer garden at what would be called the Hatchery, where a garden patio would be used along with space inside the building. The beer garden plans met with opposition two years ago, when city officials were criticized for negotiating privately with developers before bringing the project to committee.