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Cadott Village Board; East MD Street zone change to multi-family denied

Cadott Village Board; East MD Street zone change to multi-family denied Cadott Village Board; East MD Street zone change to multi-family denied
The Cadott Village Board heard from members of the public, left to right, Sharon Dressler, Jean Rygiel and Tom Kucera, concerning a proposed zoning change Jan. 17. Kucera requested the change from R-1 single family to R-4 mutli-family, so he could put a fourplex on his lots on East MD Street. The zone change was denied, following concerns by neighbors of the property. Photo by Julia Wolf

By Julia Wolf

The Cadott Village Board voted to keep East MD Street R-1 single-family residential, denying a zone change request to R-4 multi-family, during a regular meeting Jan. 17.

Tom Kucera requested the change for his two lots on East MD Street, with plans to put a fourplex on the lots.

Kucera requested the zone change in order to put duplexes on the lot, but that request was denied in January 2021, after neighbors expressed concerns about the change.

“With the duplexes, I didn’t have enough land,” said Kucera, during the public hearing on the proposed zone change. “But when I’ve got a fourplex, I’ve got all kinds of extra land.”

Kucera explained he would like to live in one of the units and rent out the other three, and figures he would have no difficulty finding renters.

He says last time, neighbors were concerned about parking on the street, which he says others already do, and traffi c, which he says is not heavy.

“We want it to stay Residential-1,” said Sharon Dressler, neighbor.

Jean Rygiel, a neighbor to the property in question, agreed that she does not want the density of population Kucera was proposing. She says the reason the village has zoning, is so they can regulate buildings that go into an area.

Some of the reasons listed in the zoning code include protecting the existing character of neighborhoods, regulate lot coverage and population density, and lessen congestion.

“It just doesn’t fit in with single family,” said Rygiel, of the proposed fourplex. “And when you have only one garage, where is the other car going to park?”

Rygiel was concerned that would leave residents of the fourplex to park on greenspace, especially if they have recreational vehicles, like boats or side-by-sides. She also noted the street gets busier, if the intersection of State Hwy. 27 and County Hwy. X is congested.

Rygiel says the village already put time and money into setting up the zoning areas, to prevent hodgepodge.

Board president Anson Albarado asked the neighbors in attendance what they would like to see built on those lots, if something was to get built there. They said they would like to see single family homes.

Kucera said he may put a modular home on each lot, if the zone change request doesn’t go through.

Board member Randy Kuehni told Kucera that he feels for him, because if he had a lot, he would want to follow through on his plans for the lot, too.

“But we do have an ordinance and we do have neighbors with concerns,” said Kuehni.

Following the public hearing, Les Liptak, board member, says he does not think a fourplex would be a good fit for that area. He says he would like to see plenty of lodging, but is also cognizant that they have zoning to maintain a certain stability. Liptak says the plan looks very similar to the one Kucera proposed a year ago.

Liptak motioned to deny the zone change request and the denial passed with a 5-0 vote.

Board members also discussed a license agreement for pole contacts. Russ Falkenberg, board member, says there is a company coming through that would like to attach to the village’s poles, but the village does not have a current agreement. Falkenberg says there are several other local utilities that use the agreement presented to the board in their packet. Village clerk Sandy Buetow says the agreement would apply to any new pole contacts.

Albarado asked who determines the amount paid per pole contact. Falkenberg says he suggests they follow the same as the neighboring communities.

Falkenberg says the agreement gets into make-ready, where if the clearances aren’t adequate for something the company wants to hang on the pole, it would be the company’s responsibility to pay for that, not the village’s.

Board members voted to accept the agreement, as presented.

Members also passed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Chippewa County for election purposes. Buetow says the approval is a yearly thing.

The board also discussed the Uniform Dwelling Code options with the county. Buetow checked into others who could offer the service, but didn’t find anyone.

Buetow also reminded the board, that one option was to have the county use the village’s codes. Members wanted to hear about what the village’s responsibilities would be, if they went that route, and voted to move forward with contacting the county for the final details.

Albarado reported that he, Kuehni and Cedar Corp., listened in on a phone conversation between Kwik Trip representatives and the DNR, talking about the wetland issue. That way, the engineers know where the process is and how to help out.

“The project, at this time, is in the hands of Kwik Trip and the DNR,” said Albarado, adding the process will likely take a while.

Kuehni also stressed that the land was not purchased, but an offer was made on the land, contingent on what it is going to cost Kwik Trip to build there.

Board member Eric Weiland also says the planning committee for the Matt Siddons family benefit (firefighter who passed away), set for April, would like to shut down a portion of Main Street that day. He says they want to put a tent outside, to accommodate more people. The request will be on the next agenda for approval.

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