A developer's revised proposal, which cut a proposed 30-story apartment building down to 15 stories, has not made a controversial Bayside development any more popular with nearby residents.

More than 125 residents attended a public hearing on the project at the Bayside Plan Commission meeting Tuesday, Aug. 6. Of the roughly 30 residents to speak, nearly all opposed the OneNorth development at the northwestern corner of Port Washington and Brown Deer roads.

The commission only listened to public comment on the proposal; it did not take any action.

OneNorth would feature 10 new buildings, a parking structure and a public plaza to host community events.

The taller buildings, including the 15-story apartment building and two 10-story office or medical buildings, would be positioned closer to I-43. On the east side of the campus, buildings would be five stories or smaller, including office, retail and restaurants.

The Los Paisa building on Brown Deer Road would likely be replaced with a bank. The restaurant would find a new home elsewhere in the OneNorth complex.

No public financing, residents say

The 15-story apartment building was the most controversial aspect of the OneNorth proposal, but it was certainly not the only complaint at the plan commission meeting. Residents were also concerned about additional traffic, pedestrian safety and the changing character of the small village.

Most of the speakers voiced opposition to any form of public assistance, such as tax increment financing.

"I think a lot of people feel very strongly that the answer (to TIF) is, 'No. Period. End of story. Don't come back. Don't ask. Don't bring it up,'" said Bayside resident Ellen Daroga. "If you can overcome that, you may have a better chance of going forward."

Developer Scott Yauck, of Cobalt Partners LLC, said he does not yet know if he will seek public financing.

"Until we understand the scope and size of the project, it is too premature for that," he said.

Yauck said the development would have a projected value of $185 million, which would be an increase of $160 million to the village's tax base.

'We don't want to be like Glendale'

Bayside Trustee Robb DeGraff warned residents that Bayside's budget is struggling under state-imposed levy limits, which prevent municipalities from raising taxes beyond the percentage of net new construction.

"Unless we do something, we are going to have a hard time providing you with the services you have come to expect with the limitations we face," he said. "The storm cloud is on the horizon, folks. We all know it."

Bayside resident Liz Levins said she doubted Yauck, a member of the Fox Point Plan Commission, would approve buildings this tall in his own village.

"We don't want to be like Oak Creek, Menomonee Falls or Glendale. No we don't," she said. "We want to be like Fox Point."

Several residents pointed to Bayshore Town Center as an example of the declining direction of brick-and-mortar retail. Yauck said OneNorth is not intended to be a regional draw, and that the retailers would likely be smaller, boutique shops.

'Are you calling me a liar?'

Things got particularly testy about an hour into the meeting, when Bayside resident Pam Ringsred said she was surprised that office tenants have already committed to joining the OneNorth project. Ringsred said there are already a number of vacant office buildings in Mequon, for example.

William La Macchia, one of the developers, got up from his seat.

"Do you think I would lie about that?" La Macchia said. "Are you calling me a liar?"

Multiple people also questioned the developer's decision to add a new 25,000-square-foot North Shore Library on the ground floor of one of the four-story office buildings.

Bob Kohn, who lives near the development site, was one of several people to say they don't think a new library is needed.

"It's a carrot on a stick," Kohn said.

The North Shore Library is currently asking Bayside, Fox Point, Glendale and River Hills to fund a $4.2 million renovation of its 32-year-old building at 6800 N. Port Washington Road.

At the end of the meeting, Dickman asked village employees to investigate the issues raised by residents and report back within 30 days.

The plan commission will eventually make a recommendation to the village board regarding the developer's application to rezone the property, which is required for the project to move forward.

Contact Jeff Rumage at (262) 446-6616 or jeff.rumage@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffRumage or Facebook at www.facebook.com/northshorenow.