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No offsite parking for Wheelhouse

Town’s petition included in zoning changes

By Robert Cloud


More than 130 people filled the county boardroom during a May 5 public hearing regarding changes to offsite parking zoning regulations. Shown in the video at top are Andrew Phillips, the county’s outside counsel, explaining the differences between the three petitions; Lorraine Koeper, one of the petitioners to the county; Dayton Town Supervisor John Miller, another petitioner to the county; James Hammes, an attorney for the Wheelhouse; and Jeff Maiman, the restaurant’s owner.

The Wheelhouse will not be allowed to use its offsite parking lot.

After nearly four hours of testimony at a May 5 hearing, the Waupaca County Planning and Zoning Committee voted unanimously to include the town of Dayton’s petition to its offsite parking amendments.

At issue was how restrictive should the county be regarding offsite commercial parking.

The county zoning office had proposed amendments that would allow the county to issue conditional use permits for offsite commercial parking on any parcel in the county.

The county also received two other petitions for amendments from the town of Dayton and two homeowners on the Chain O’ Lakes, Lorraine Koeper and Sharon Peterson. These petitions sought more restrictive zoning for offsite parking.

Plans for offsite parking for the Wheelhouse had been the catalyst for changes to the county’s offsite parking zoning amendments.

Under Dayton’s amendments, Wheelhouse’s offsite parking lot is not permitted because it is located on residential property and more than 500 feet away from the restaurant.

The town of Dayton proposed prohibiting offsite parking on parcels that are zoned sewered residential or rural residential.

Dayton’s amendments also requires an offsite parking lot to be within 500 feet of the property it serves. The committee agreed to define the distance as nearest lot line to lot line.

An offsite parking lot must also be within the same zoning district as the business it serves.

Another element of Dayton’s petition that the planning committee included in its recommended ordinance amendments involved how zoning ordinances are interpretted.

The zoning office proposed creating a new Section 14.08 in the ordinance. Under this amendment, any person may submit a request for an interpretation of the ordinance. The request must be in writing and the zoning director or designee must consult with the county’s corporation counsel and provide a written response within 30 days.

Dayton’s petition modifies the zoning office’s proposed amendment to also require that the written interpretation be presented to the Planning and Zoning Committee for approval. If the interpretation is approved, then all property owners within 300 feet of the parcel involved in the interpretation must be notified by mail.

At the advice of its outside council, Andrew Phillips, the planning and zoning committee restricted notification to land use issues and not structural or other questions.

The committee’s recommendations for changes to the zoning ordinance will now go before the Waupaca County Board at its May 17 meeting.

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