The post What Does Entitled Even Mean? A Plain-English Guide to Development Approvals appeared first on Three Sixty Insights.
]]>Post 2 of 7 in Behind the Build
In everyday speech, "entitled" is not a compliment. In real estate, it means something completely different — and understanding it helps explain why the path from a development idea to construction can take much longer than people might expect.
A property is "entitled" when its owner has secured the legal right to build a specific project on it. Not the right to build anything — the right to build a specifically proposed thing: those buildings, at that height, with those uses, those parking counts, those driveways, and those utility connections. Specifically.
Owning land doesn't give you that right automatically. Every parcel comes wrapped in layers of rules — zoning, subdivision regulations, design standards, stormwater requirements, building codes — developed and adopted over years and decades to protect neighbors, taxpayers, and the community's long-term plan. Entitlement is the process of demonstrating, to the satisfaction of the city, that your project follows all of them.
What ENTITLEMENT actually involves
For a project like Copper Rocks, the entitlement journey includes most or all of these steps:
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Zoning confirmation (or rezoning). Does the city's zoning map allow this use, at this density, on this site? If not, the developer must request a change — a public process with hearings before the Plan Commission and a vote by the Common Council. (Post 3 covers this in depth.)
- Land division. Big sites usually need to be legally split into buildable lots. That's done through a plat or a Certified Survey Map (CSM) — a precise legal drawing, reviewed by city staff and recorded with the county, that defines exactly where each lot begins and ends. Copper Rocks' four phases each sit on their own legally defined lot.
- Site plan and design review. City planners review the detailed drawings: building placement, architecture, landscaping, lighting, parking, pedestrian connections. In La Crosse, multi-family projects must also meet the city's adopted design standards — rules about building materials, entrances, window coverage, and how a building meets the street, all intended to make sure new buildings contribute to the neighborhood rather than turning their back on it.
- Engineering review. Public Works and Engineering examine everything that touches public infrastructure: street access, sewer and water capacity, stormwater management, grading, and utility easements. If the project requires new public improvements, the city and developer have to agree on who builds and pays for what.
- Agreements. Some projects also involve agreements beyond the standard development approvals. Copper Rocks, for example, includes a request for tax increment financing (TIF). When public financing is requested, the city and developer must negotiate a development agreement — a binding contract spelling out what the developer must build, by when and to what standard, along with what the city provides in return. This adds another layer of financial, legal and public review that projects without public financing may not require. We'll explain TIF — including how it works and why developers request it — later in this series.
- Permits. Only after all of the above can building permits be issued — the final green light for construction.
If every project goes through approvals, why has Copper Rocks taken so long?
Because entitlement is only part of the Copper Rocks story.
The project first moved through city approvals several years ago. Since then, changing construction costs, financing conditions and the economics of the project led to additional time and changes to the plan. As the project evolved and previous approval timelines expired, portions of the approval process had to be revisited.
The current Copper Rocks proposal also includes multiple buildings and phases, land division, infrastructure coordination and a request for TIF — adding steps that a smaller or more straightforward development may not require.
So while nearly every development goes through an approval process, they aren't all starting with the same site, requesting the same approvals or dealing with the same financial and infrastructure considerations.
Why the process takes time
Each step involves different professionals — planners, engineers, attorneys, surveyors, architects — on both the city's side and the developer's, and many steps can't start until earlier ones finish. Public hearings run on fixed monthly calendars. Legal documents go back and forth in drafts.
Some of that time is well spent. Entitlement is the community's quality-control system: it's why new buildings connect to sidewalks, why stormwater doesn't flood the neighbors, and why a project's promises get written into enforceable contracts instead of press releases.
The craft — for developers and cities alike — is keeping the thoroughness while cutting and minimizing the waiting: clear checklists, predictable timelines, and coordinated reviews. When both sides do that well, a community gets the protection and the project. That balance is a theme we'll return to at the end of the series.
Next up: Post 3 — Zoning 101: The Invisible Map That Shapes Every Block of La Crosse.
Three Sixty Real Estate Solutions is the developer of Copper Rocks. This series is educational; nothing here is legal advice.
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]]>The post From Vacant Big Box to Neighborhood: What It Takes to Bring a Project Like Copper Rocks to Life appeared first on Three Sixty Insights.
]]>If you've driven down State Road lately, you've seen it: the old Kmart site, a big empty box on a big empty parking lot. For nearly ten years it has sat there doing what vacant retail does — collecting weeds, generating almost no tax revenue, and waiting.
Our company, Three Sixty Real Estate Solutions, LLC has been working to change that. The project is called Copper Rocks: a four-phase redevelopment that will turn that site into 247 new homes, new commercial space, and structured parking — roughly $60 million of investment on land that's already served by streets, sewer, water, parks, services, and transit.
But this series isn't about our project. It's about a question we get all the time, and one every resident deserves a real answer to:
"When is Copper Rocks going to happen? Or why does it take so long to build it?"
It's a fair question. From the outside, development looks simple: buy land, draw plans, build. In reality, a project this size passes through dozens of hands and hundreds of decisions before a single shovel touches dirt. Over the next several posts, we'll walk through that journey step by step, in plain English:
- What "Entitlement" Means — the legal process of earning the right to build (Post 2)
- How Zoning Works — the invisible map that shapes every block in the city (Post 3)
- Why Housing, And Why Here — what La Crosse actually needs, in numbers (Post 4)
- Where $60 Million Comes From — banks, investors, state programs, and grants (Post 5)
- How TIF Works — the public-private partnership tool people love to argue about (Post 6)
- Why Timelines Matter — what delay actually costs, and what makes cities great development partners (Post 7)
Why should a regular resident care?
Because in Wisconsin, this is your money too — in a very direct way.
State law tightly limits how much a city can raise property taxes each year. In practical terms, one of the primary ways a Wisconsin city's property tax base grows is through new construction. New buildings on the tax rolls are how a Wisconsin city pays for parks, pools, libraries, snowplows, police, and fire without pushing more of the burden onto existing homeowners.
Here's the scale of what that means locally. In 2025, all the new construction in the entire City of La Crosse — every home, addition, and commercial building combined — totaled roughly $43.9 million in value. Copper Rocks, by itself, represents about $45 million in new construction value. One project, on one long-vacant site, roughly equal to everything else the city built in a year.
Today, that site pays about $80,000 a year in property taxes. Fully built, it's projected to generate approximately $870,000 annually. While we'll explain Tax Increment Financing (TIF) in detail later in this series, it's important to know that TIF does not mean a development pays no property taxes. The project continues paying property taxes throughout the life of the TIF district, and we'll explain where those dollars go in Part 6.
That's the theme you'll see throughout this series: development isn't something that happens to a community. Done right, it's something that happens for one. Every step in the process — zoning, hearings, agreements, financing — exists to make sure that's true.
Three Sixty Real Estate Solutions is the developer of Copper Rocks. This series is educational; nothing here is legal advice.
Have a question about redevelopment or Copper Rocks?
Leave a comment or contact our team. We may answer it in a future Behind the Build article.
The post From Vacant Big Box to Neighborhood: What It Takes to Bring a Project Like Copper Rocks to Life appeared first on Three Sixty Insights.
]]>The post C&C Residences Celebrates Grand Opening with Ribbon Cutting on June 11 appeared first on Three Sixty Insights.
]]>Located in La Crosse's Washburn Neighborhood, C&C Residences brings 36 new homes to the community, including Wisconsin's first ORI Expandable Studio Apartments and 12 townhomes designed for long-term living. The development is part of a broader vision for the block that includes future Habitat for Humanity homes and community garden space, reflecting a shared commitment to expanding housing opportunities in La Crosse.
Join us as we celebrate the grand opening of C&C Residences with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, June 11 at 9:00 a.m.
Learn More
- C&C Residences: C&C Residences Website
- Habitat For Humanity: Washburn Neighborhood Project
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]]>The post Ground Breaking Scheduled for Badger West appeared first on Three Sixty Insights.
]]>Three Sixty Real Estate Solutions will host a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, to mark the start of construction on Badger West, a new apartment community designed for college students, graduate students and young professionals in La Crosse. Badger West will feature 48 ORI Expandable Studio Apartments, making it the first building in La Crosse to offer apartments with moveable, space-transforming furniture. These dynamic apartments allow residents to expand their living space at the touch of a button, offering an innovative approach to modern housing.
“We’re seeing increasing demand for high-quality studio living in La Crosse, especially among graduate students and professionals who value flexibility, efficiency, and proximity to work or school,” said Marvin Wanders, Owner of Three Sixty Real Estate Solutions. “Badger West meets that need while introducing a completely new housing style to our community.”
The groundbreaking ceremony will take place at the future Badger West site, located at 431 West Avenue North, La Crosse, WI beginning at 11AM. Community members, local officials, project partners, and media are invited to attend. Guests will have an opportunity to hear from project leaders and learn more about the innovative housing design.
Event Details
What: Groundbreaking Ceremony for Badger West
When: Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 11AM
Where: 431 West Avenue North, La Crosse, WI
For more information on Badger West, visit http://www.badgerwest.threesixty.bz For more inforamation about ORI Living, visit: https://www.oriliving.com/
For questions regarding the Badger West development, please contact Jeremy Novak, VP of Development: 608-782-7365 or email [email protected].
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]]>The post Discover Agriwild: Three Sixty’s Path to Sustainable and Vibrant Communities appeared first on Three Sixty Insights.
]]>What is Agriwild?
AGRIWILD© is the proprietary method utilized by Three Sixty to create healthy built environments for neighborhoods and communities. This holistic approach addresses various crucial elements: food sources for both humans and animals, site ecology, carbon sequestration, stormwater management, habitat creation, and the integration of natural, 'wild' elements into our developments. These combined efforts ensure a robust and healthy sense of place for residents and neighbors, promoting a lifestyle that is in harmony with nature.
Healthy Built Environments
At the heart of Agriwild is the creation of living spaces that enhance the health and well-being of both residents and the natural environment. Here’s how we achieve this:
Nature-Provoking Spaces: We design spaces that bring nature to the forefront, encouraging interactions with the environment. This includes everything from community gardens with composting facilities to replacing traditional sod lawns with prairie gardens and native landscaping. These elements provide not only aesthetic beauty but also functional benefits such as improved air quality and local biodiversity.
Walkability and Connectivity: We promote a lifestyle where residents can walk, bike, and explore their surroundings through thoughtfully designed trails and pathways. These connecting trails not only reduce the reliance on cars but also encourage a more active and healthy lifestyle.
Community Gardens: Our developments often feature community gardens where residents can grow their own food, engage with nature, and connect with each other. These gardens are more than just plots of land; they are hubs of community interaction and environmental stewardship.
Native Landscaping: By replacing traditional lawns with prairie gardens and native plants, we create a more sustainable and low-maintenance landscape that supports local wildlife and reduces the need for water and chemicals.
Sense of Place
Creating a strong sense of place is fundamental to our developments. This sense of place is cultivated through:
Fitness Centers and Communal Spaces: Our properties feature fitness centers and communal areas designed to foster social interactions and community bonding. These spaces are essential for residents to gather, socialize, and form lasting connections.
Engaging Amenities: We provide a range of amenities that encourage residents to interact with their environment and each other. Whether it’s through fitness activities or social events, these amenities enhance the overall living experience and strengthen the community fabric.
Site Ecology
Understanding and respecting the natural features of a site is crucial for sustainable development. Agriwild places a strong emphasis on:
Ecological Restoration: We carefully restore or preserve native vegetation and wildlife habitats around our developments. This approach not only protects local ecosystems but also creates a harmonious balance between urban and natural environments.
Biodiversity Support: By maintaining and enhancing native habitats, we support local biodiversity, ensuring that our developments contribute positively to the surrounding ecosystem.
Stormwater Management
Effective stormwater management is essential to preventing flooding and protecting our waterways from pollution. Our approach includes:
Permeable Pavements: These surfaces allow water to seep through, reducing runoff and minimizing the risk of flooding.
Biofiltration Systems: These systems filter pollutants from stormwater, ensuring that cleaner water returns to the environment.
Engineered Soils and Rain Gardens: These features are designed to absorb and filter stormwater, promoting natural infiltration and reducing the load on municipal systems.
Exceeding Requirements: Three Sixty goes above and beyond city regulations to maximize the effectiveness of our stormwater management practices, safeguarding our communities and waterways.
Habitat Creation
Urban development can disrupt local wildlife, but Agriwild strives to mitigate this through:
Wildlife Corridors: We design our developments to include pathways that allow wildlife to move safely through urban areas, maintaining their natural behavior and habitats.
Nesting Areas: By incorporating areas where animals can nest and thrive, we support local species and enhance the ecological value of our properties.
Conclusion
Agriwild embodies our commitment to creating sustainable, healthy, and vibrant communities. By integrating nature, thoughtful design, and community engagement, we ensure that our developments are more than just places to live— they are places to thrive. At Three Sixty, we are proud to lead the way in sustainable development, fostering a harmonious balance between people and the natural world.
For questions regarding Agriwild©, please get in touch with Jeremy Novak, Development Director:
608-782-7365 or email [email protected].
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]]>The post Open House preceding Washburn Community Meeting on October 24, 2023 at 5pm appeared first on Three Sixty Insights.
]]>For 11 years, the Washburn Garden Block has held a special place in the heart of the Washburn Neighborhood Association. As the community acknowledges the growing demand for housing, this presents a crucial opportunity to contribute to addressing that need while simultaneously revitalizing and improving the garden asset.
“As we embark on the journey of redevelopment, we remain committed to addressing the needs identified in the neighborhood visioning project; quality housing for all, better access to food, ample green space, greater connectivity, youth development, neighborhood safety, and community gatherings, while also preserving the spirit of the garden block.” Says Marvin Wanders, co-owner, Three Sixty Real Estate Solutions.
The open house event will be held at the La Crosse American Legion: 711 6th St. S La Crosse, prior to the monthly Washburn Community Meeting. Attendees will have the opportunity to provide input about the future of the Washburn Garden Block and how it can better serve the needs and aspirations of the community, including the incorporation of new housing options. Attendees will get an up-close look at some conceptual designs and ideas for the garden block’s transformation. Three Sixty welcomes the neighborhood’s feedback, ideas, and suggestions on what landscaping, outdoor spaces, and aesthetics they want to see in the redesigned garden block. They are also seeking insights from the current experienced gardeners whose extensive expertise in horticulture and cultivation is valued. The opportunity to reserve your future garden plot in a new development will also be available at this event.
For questions regarding the Garden Block Development, please get in touch with Jeremy Novak, Development Director:
608-782-7365 or email [email protected].
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]]>The post Interview On Copper Rocks appeared first on Three Sixty Insights.
]]>The post Interview On Copper Rocks appeared first on Three Sixty Insights.
]]>The post Copper Rocks Development Update appeared first on Three Sixty Insights.
]]>An unforeseen rise in construction costs over the past 12-18 months, as well as some supply chains of critical building components, have constrained movement on this project.
Rising interest rates have escalated the nationwide demand for multifamily housing, impacting the La Crosse area. The Copper Rocks development adds supply with 206 market-rate studios, 1, 2, and 3-bedroom apartments. Three Sixty Real Estate Solutions Development Director, Jeremy Novak, states “This is something the neighborhood and community are excited about. The community will ultimately see all of the benefits we envisioned initially. It is a matter of when we start, not if.”
Three Sixty’s core value of only developing and managing projects that positively impact the communities they serve extends to customers, employees, and investors. Novak continued, “We are still actively working to get this project started, but it’s more important to get it right than to get it done quickly.”
Consistent conversations and updates with city staff and a watchful eye on market conditions remain crucial. “Once conditions look appropriate, we will be ready to hit the ground running with this much-anticipated project.” Said Novak.
For questions regarding the Copper Rocks development, please get in touch with Jeremy Novak, Development Director: 608-782-7365 or email [email protected].
The post Copper Rocks Development Update appeared first on Three Sixty Insights.
]]>The post 5th Ward Project’s Final Phase appeared first on Three Sixty Insights.
]]>The second building is the final phase of the $26 million project. It will be ready for occupancy September 1, 2023 and is now accepting lease applications. Lloyd Mckinney, Property Manager for the 5th Ward Residences, says “Initial leasing of phase one has shown strong demand. Residents appreciate the great amenities, central location, connection to the recreational resources, and quality of finishes in the residences.”
The 5th Ward Residences Project provides 144 new rental homes with studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and fourteen owner-occupied townhomes available for rent or sale in two- and three-bedroom options. The project includes on-site management, an indoor community center providing a fitness facility, and incubator offices for start-up businesses and professionals with flexible leasing options.
“With growing demand for more multifamily housing in La Crosse, we are excited to help fulfill this need,” said Three Sixty Real Estate Solutions Development Director, Jeremy Novak. “It is convenient for those living and working in the area while providing an abundance of amenities.”
This new development is part of the 5th Ward’s larger effort to revitalize the area and create a vibrant, walkable neighborhood that positively impacts the broader community. The completion of the project is expected to boost the city’s tax base by $18 million.
For Three Sixty Real Estate Solutions development opportunities, please contact Jeremy Novak, Development Director: 608-782-7365, or email [email protected].
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]]>The post Tips for More Sustainable Apartment Living appeared first on Three Sixty Insights.
]]>Orange may be our company color, but we are very serious about Going Green! We see the forest for the trees and focus on sustaining long-term with long-lasting projects. Why? Because we don't just develop for the here and now, we create and manage our communities for future generations to come. We believe in the circle of life and are determined to do our part.
It's one thing to say you believe in sustainability, it's another to incorporate environmental components into each project. That's what we do at Three Sixty because it's the right thing to do as good stewards of our land. As developers and real estate owners, we realize these efforts are integral to the long-term financial value of our communities and for future generations. We make it a priority to manage all our properties with this same mindset.
Outside of focusing on sustainability within our projects, we want to give our residents the tools to live sustainably in their Three Sixty homes as well. Here are a few links to our favorite blog posts with ideas for more sustainable apartment living. With these tips you can simutaneously help save our planet and your electrical bills.
https://www.6sqft.com/13-simple-ways-to-green-your-apartment/
https://stevebrownapts.com/2012/06/25/12-tips-for-more-sustainable-apartment-living/
https://www.goingzerowaste.com/blog/8-tips-for-eco-friendly-apartment-living/
https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/easy-sustainable-tips-for-home-36745936
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