City of Delafield - Newly elected Mayor McAleer says the city should impose a three to four month moratorium on new development in the downtown business district to give city planners time to update the business district's land use plan.

McAleer said that City Planner Roger Dupler of Yaggy Colby Associates, the city's consulting engineering and planning firm, is working on the details of a moratorium proposal that will be on the agenda for the next Common Council meeting on May 19.

McAleer told the council Monday night that the moratorium was necessary because he was anticipating that new land owners and developers will be making presentations in the future to the council for new development plans.

"I don't want those plans approved piecemeal before we get a chance to complete an update of the downtown plan," he told the council.

City officials have been discussing for several months developing a revised downtown land use plan. The new plan might include development of a new street and traffic grid system downtown, according to McAleer.

Some downtown property owners have proposed extending either Division or Onieda streets to Genesee Street to provide better access to about 30 acres of undeveloped land located south and east of City Hall.

Developer Bob Lang owns three separate parcels totaling about 14 acres behind city hall. McAleer said that Lang is attempting to sell the property.

"Now is probably a good time to do it (the moratorium). Because of the economy we don't have developers beating down our door," said McAleer.

McAleer, who served as mayor from 1994 to 2002, supported a city wide moratorium that was imposed in 2000 to give city planners a chance to up date the city's zoning code.

McAleer was elected to another term as mayor in April.