The Village of River Hills had a dilemma. They purchased 55 acres of agricultural land with goal of creating an infill development – building on unused and underutilized land within an existing development – but faced several obstacles. The previous landowner sought to develop the entire property but could not obtain the necessary permits. As the new landowner, the Village needed to sell a portion of the land to a new developer so that they could increase their tax base. The solution was a compromise: the Village would keep half of the land for a nature conservancy and sell the other half for development. This enabled the Village to increase their tax base and to protect the remaining open space and downstream watershed.
To accomplish this goal, the Village partnered with the Fresh Coast Protection Partnership (FCPP), a program funded by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. The FCPP program fulfilled two important needs for the Village. It funded the restoration of the nature conservancy as well as the construction of the stormwater infrastructure needed for the 60-unit residential development.
ECT is the engineer and landscape architect for the constructed wetlands that will detain and treat runoff from the future residential development. The two basins will store nearly 2.5 million gallons of water during the most severe rain events. There will also be over 18 acres of restored prairie added to the site which will reduce runoff rates and substantially improve the habitat for native plants and animals. The conservancy will become a passive recreational amenity for the community and will serve as a visual buffer between the existing neighborhood and the future residential development.