Planned City Park in Section 35
Concept Drawing of Phase 1 Park Layout (Concept Only - Not Final)
The city is planning a park in Section 35, west of Sunny Slope Road, between College Avenue and Grange Avenue.
Per the City:
The park complex has been included in the overall neighborhood land use plan since the start of the formal land use planning process in 2014 for the Section 35 / South Moorland Road Corridor. The entire footprint of the total lands designated as the future park complex is just under roughly 95.8 acres, of which, 57.4 acres is considered for active uses. The remaining 38.4 acres would be for passive recreational uses.
The area in which the park is located was the subject of a development proposal back in 2012, involving the expansion of the industrial/business park planned for the west side of Section 35 to Sunny Slope Road. You can read more about that topic at City Proposes Expansion of Industrial Park in Section 35.
Map of Area
Status
For ongoing status updates post-January 11, 2021, please see Section 35 Park Progress.
January 11, 2021 - Plan Commission Approves Phase 1 Design
The Plan Commission approved the Phase 1 Design at its January 11, 2021 meeting. You can see the full design in the PDF file attached to this page (Section 35 Park - Executive Summary from Jan 11, 2021 Plan Commission Meeting), which is extracted from the full meeting packet.
Note: The drawing above is from that packet, with my rudimentary coloring skills to show the primary areas of use for Phase 1. The exact placement of everything is not final. This drawing is just intended to be used as an additional visual aid. For more details, please contact the city of New Berlin Parks Department.
February 6, 2020 - Impressions from the Meeting
Mayor Dave Ament, Alderman Ken Harenda, and City Staff were on hand to present the information they had about the current status of the park, and to ask for feedback on an idea to provide access to the park from Sunny Slope Road instead of waiting for the industrial/business development to the West to be developed (which appears to be stalled).
While most in attendance were receptive to the idea, the fact that Sunny Slope Road has a traffic problem was universally raised as a concern. The intersections at Grange Avenue and College Avenue are already problematic, and any additional traffic brought on by the park will make those issues worse.
While the consensus was that the City could pursue the idea further, a majority preferred that the access still be done from the West through the industrial park. Perhaps while planning is being done, the factors causing the industrial/business development to have stalled will clear (primarily the fact that Moorland Road is only two lanes between Grange/Small Road and College Avenue and cannot support industrial/business traffic).
This is a conceptual map that shows the general outline of the park and the proposed access (click for larger view):
February 6, 2020 - Neighborhood Meeting Planned
The city is holding a neighborhood meeting on February 6, 2020 at 6pm at New Berlin City Hall Council Chambers. An invitation has been sent out to those near the area that reads as follows:
We invite you to attend the following neighborhood meeting to discuss the future plans for a sports complex within Section 35 of New Berlin, located at approximately 5851 S. Sunny Slope Rd. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss incorporating an access point to the future Community Park from Sunny Slope Rd.
December 2, 2019 - Plan Commission Recommends Land Rezoning
The Plan Commission voted to recommend the rezoning of the properties located at 14555 W. Grange Avenue (Tax Key #: 1289.997) and 5851 S. Sunny Slope Road (Tax Key #: 1289.993) from A-1 and A-2 to R-6 and P-2, as well as the proposed 3-Lot Certified Survey Map.
November 4, 2019 - Public Hearing at Plan Commission Meeting
There will be a public hearing on November 4, 2019 at 6pm for the following:
(4) KH RZ-1902532 Tom Walz with Walz Law Office and Greg Kessler with the City of New Berlin - 14555 W. Grange Avenue (Tax Key #: 1289.997) and 5851 S. Sunny Slope Road (Tax Key #: 1289.993) - Rezone from A-1 and A-2 to R-6 and P-2. (PUBLIC HEARING 6:01 PM)
October 22, 2019 - Common Council Approves Purchase of 20 Acres for $800,000
A motion by Alderman Horbinski to adoption a resolution approving the $800,000 purchase of approximately 20 acres of property from the Loomis Family Farm Trust for parkland in Section 35. The motion passed 6 to 0.
This action brings the total land owned by the city for the proposed park to approximately 40 acres.
October 8, 2019 - Committee of the Whole Sets Public Hearing
A motion was approved to set a public hearing for November 4, 2019 at 6:01 p.m. to be held before the Plan Commission to rezone the properties located at 14555 W. Grange Avenue (Tax Key #: 1289.997) and 5851 S. Sunny Slope Road (Tax Key #: 1289.993) from A-1 and A-2 to R-6 and P-2. (Minutes)
October 7, 2019 - Plan Commission Meeting Approves Purchase of 20 Acres for Park
The Plan Commission approved a motion to recommend to the Common Council the adoption of a resolution approving the purchase of approximately 20 acres of property from the Loomis Family Farm Trust for parkland in Section 35. (Minutes)
The following update history is from the Staff Report Executive Summary, dated October 7, 2019:
June 5, 2017
The 2017-2022 Park and Open Space Plan was adopted via Plan Commission Resolution #: 17-01 on June 5, 2017 and was incorporated into the City’s Comprehensive Plan by the Common Council via Ordinance #: 2587 on June 13, 2017. The Plan identifies this property as being part of a larger approximate 95.8 acre future park complex. The Park and Open Space Plan states:
“Section 35 – Acquire 95.8 acres of parkland, of which 57.4 acres is developable, to serve as a Community Park for the adjacent areas.” In addition, the Plan also states, “The developable land should be used for active uses such as soccer, baseball/softball, basketball, playground, and picnic areas with shelter. A pathway is desired to provide the surrounding neighborhoods with a safe access to school, parks, and residential developments, as well as to enjoy the natural environment.”
November 15, 2016
The Common Council adopted Ordinance #: 2579 on November 15, 2016 incorporating amendments to the following Comprehensive Plan Chapters 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22 during the second phase of an annual update to the Plan.
June 14, 2016
The Common Council adopted Ordinance #: 2568 on June 14, 2016 incorporating amendments to the following Comprehensive Plan Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14, during the first phase of annual update to the Plan.
October 13, 2015
The Common Council adopted Ordinance #: 2553 on October 13, 2015 incorporating this parkland into the City’s overall Comprehensive Plan.
October 5, 2015
The Plan Commission adopted Resolution #: 15-03 on October 5, 2015 recommending the incorporation of this parkland into the City’s overall Comprehensive Plan.
Last Updated: Sep 28, 2021
Resources
- Section 35 Park - Executive Summary from Jan 11, 2021 Plan Commission Meeting
The staff report executive summary presented to the Plan Commission during its Jan 11, 2021 meeting. This document is an extraction of the full document, which covered all topics in that meeting.
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