Village approves Pebblebrook Hollow Phase 2 final plat, requires landscaping plan after neighbors warn of headlight impacts

The Village of Waukesha planning commission and village board approved Bellman Investments LLC’s Pebblebrook Hollow Phase 2 final plat and construction plans on May 8, 2025, while adding conditions aimed at protecting adjacent homeowners.

The approvals cover a waiver of the municipal requirement to re-review a preliminary plat that lapsed more than 36 months after its 2019 approval, the Phase 2 final plat for 19 single-family lots and two condominium parcels, and related construction plans. The board and commission required the developer to submit a landscaping plan, among standard engineering and legal conditions, after nearby residents raised concerns about headlights and grading behind their homes.

Why it matters: neighbors say the Phase 2 roadway alignment will bring headlights and traffic near existing houses and asked the village to require redesign or screening. The village’s conditional approvals allow the subdivision to proceed while attaching conditions intended to reduce impacts on established homes.

At public comment, Tammy Robbie, who lives at W252 S5251 Sage Road, told the commission she objected to the Phase 2 layout because it places a roadway “directly to the rear of my property” and would let “headlights shining squarely and unnecessarily into my living room.” Robbie said she has offered to buy a portion of the development parcel or to adjust the roadway path and asked the commission to decline the land-division exception associated with Phase 2. Her neighbor, Randy Lund, spoke in support and asked that the road be rerouted to reduce construction and long-term traffic impacts.

Developer and staff responses
Sean (staff member), the village planner, told the commission the Phase 2 final plat is “substantially consistent” with the preliminary plat approved in 2019 and that engineering and stormwater approvals remain under review by Waukesha County. David Bellman (Bellman Investments LLC), the petitioner, said grading and construction work is ongoing and that the project team can meet most technical comments.

The planning commission voted to waive the preliminary-plat re-review and forwarded the final-plat and construction-plan recommendations to the village board with standard conditions: completion of outstanding plat corrections, recording of required documents, updated wetland delineations to be shown on the final plat, resolution of county stormwater comments, building- and infrastructure-permit approvals, reimbursement of village review costs, and other standard items.

After further discussion on the neighbor concerns about headlights and sightlines, the board added one site-specific condition: the petitioner must submit a landscaping plan addressing the headlight/visual buffer concern for review and approval by village planning staff prior to final permitting. Village staff and the developer agreed the plan would identify tree/planting locations in the outlot along Hidden Hollow and other locations to screen views where feasible and outside wetlands and recorded easements.

Other technical items the board required the developer to correct before recording included numbering and labeling of condominium parcels, minor lot-area adjustments (one condominium parcel needed approximately 492 square feet to conform to the PUD minimum), depiction of ponds and wetland limits, and standard easement labeling.

The board also approved the construction plans conditionally: the road cross-sections presented (10-inch aggregate base with 4 inches of asphalt typical section) met village requirements, but the village engineer asked the developer to add detail on subgrade preparation—particularly across wetland transitions on Hidden Hollow—to show how the subgrade will be stabilized (structural fill, geogrid or other measures) before paving.

What the approvals do and do not do
The village’s action allows Bellman Investments to proceed toward recording the final plat and to begin construction under the approved plans and developer agreements, once the listed technical and legal preconditions are met. The approvals do not change previously issued conditional-use rights for the project; the settled 2019 conditional-use approvals remain in force and govern lot form and allowed uses.

Next steps and monitoring
Staff will verify that the updated wetland delineation is shown on the final plat, confirm that Waukesha County sign-offs on stormwater are completed, and review the required landscaping plan and construction-plan updates. The developer must also satisfy the village attorney and engineer on the final developer agreement, letter of credit and stormwater maintenance agreements before recording and prior to the village issuing final infrastructure acceptance.

For residents: staff said final paving (final asphalt lift) typically is scheduled after heavy construction is complete and is often tied to seasonal schedules; the village may require extensions or additional security if the final paving is deferred beyond ordinance limits. The developer and village staff agreed to coordinate timing so that pavement is not placed prematurely and then damaged by construction traffic.

The village recorded the motions as approved by the planning commission and then affirmed by the village board. The landscaping plan requirement and the engineering clarifications are now conditions of final plat approval.