Garden Terrace development faces resistance among neighbors, some council members

So many were in support of a big, new apartment complex on the north side of La Crosse.

Then the plans changed. Now, Garden Terrace, aimed at helping low-income families and homeless vets, faces pushback from neighbors.

For good reason, says city council member Scott Neumeister, because new designs could cause big problems with parking in the neighborhood around the Kane Street Community Garden. Plus, there are some storm water runoff issues and other problems.

It’s something neighbors don’t want anything to do with anymore, Neumeister said. Neumeister, who represents the area on the city council called it a “Great project. Bad place.”

“I think it’s just not well thought out,” Neumeister said. “I think it was the best option they had or were left with. But we have many questions and concerns that still need to be addressed.”

“It’s not fair to the neighborhood. It’s not fair to the neighbors living there. It’s going to cause issues.”

The city council had been scheduled to vote on a development deal for the $10 million apartment project tonight. At the very least, Neumeister is hoping to push back that vote for a month.