By Brandi Makuski

Officials from Plover say they’re finally ready to go public with plans for an upscale apartment complex inside Village Park.

The village approved the site plan on Nov. 3 and construction is expected to begin next spring.

Village Administrator Dan Mahoney said standards were raised for the exterior of eight 11-unit buildings to ensure the complex was in keeping with the aesthetics of the surrounding area.

“We’re requiring 45 percent accent material, in other areas the village we only require 10 percent, so we’re looking for a very high-end aesthetic for the complex, to go along with what’s already in Village Park,” Mahoney said. “We really worked hard to beef up the landscaping and building aesthetics, so it’s going to turn out pretty cool.”

Bay windows, french doors, shutters and partial brick exterior are among the accents planned for the buildings. Mahoney said there would be interior parking for residents, but no separate garages would be allowed.

The addition to Village Park is unique, he said, because it brings a residential element to an otherwise commercial area.

“A lot of times when you talk about new apartments, you talk about mixed used development; retail or commercial on the first floor and the apartments above it,” Mahoney said. “This is a little different; they’re separate commercial buildings with the same concept, mixing the residential with the commercial. They’ve got the park (Lake Pacawa) across the street, if they want to go shopping, whether it’s for clothes or groceries, all they have to do is walk across the parking lot. They’ve got a lot of food choices and there’s O’so Brewery, Great Northern Distilling. They’ll be able to walk to anything they need on a day to day basis.”

Mahoney and Village President Dan Schlutter also hinted at a new project in the works for Lake Pacawa but declined to elaborate. In June village leaders approved a final site plan for redevelopment at the outdated park, which included a major overhaul for parking, walking paths, new playground equipment, a bandshell and improved landscaping.

Mahoney said the unnamed project “might be the impetus to kick things off out there”.

“We’re still working on a group with respect to that project,” he said. “I’m sorry I can’t say more, but we should be able to talk about it soon.”

Schlutter said the project was for recreational use and called it a “great fit” for the park, but would not disclose additional details.

The village will hear about plans for another apartment complex, located to the east of Crossroads Commons, within the next few weeks.