Council approves bus lot rezoning

MANAWA – The Common Council unanimously approved a rezoning request last week, allowing Kobussen Buses to expand its North Bridge Street terminal.

The council’s vote rezones the property behind the existing terminal at 109 N. Bridge St. from Agricultural to 3B Intensive Business. While the company’s immediate plans involve clearing 1 to 1.5 acres of the parcel for additional school bus parking and commercial driver’s license (CDL) testing, the permanent zoning change applies to the entire 3-acre parcel.

The expansion will push west, deeper into the rear of the lot. The remaining northern half of the parcel contains a dense woodland buffer that directly borders the Zion Lutheran Church and residential properties to the north and northeast.

At the Aug. 17 council meeting, Kobussen Buses President Joe Kobussen said the company plans to leave those northern woods intact.

“We don’t plan on going back into this section back here at all right now for any reason. I mean, no reason to develop things that we’re not going to use,” Kobussen told the council, referring to the northern portion of the property.

A July 28 email from Kobussen to city council members indicates the company’s long-term strategy could involve additional expansion.

“Although we are not planning to develop the entire property at this time, we are requesting that the entire parcel be rezoned now,” Kobussen wrote. “Doing so would allow us to plan responsibly for the future and avoid the need for additional rezoning requests if our operational needs change.”

The rezoning request had been tabled at a previous council meeting after neighboring resident Paul Hirte, representing his property and two adjacent properties owned by Zion Lutheran Church, raised objections. At the time, Hirte said he was concerned about the loss of wooded area, potential runoff, and the noise of diesel buses warming up at 5:00 a.m.

Hirte also warned the council that the zoning change would leave the neighborhood vulnerable if Kobussen’s plans changed or if the property were sold to another commercial buyer in the future.

Prior to last week’s meeting, Kobussen representatives reached out directly to Hirte, providing a map of the proposed expansion and clarified that they do not intend to clear-cut the entire lot or remove the boundary trees separating the terminal from nearby homes.

According to Kobussen, the expansion deals with several operational and safety needs. The primary driver of the project is moving the bus parking lot further back from the Little Wolf River. The expanded lot will also provide space for drivers to complete tight maneuvers and backing exercises required for CDL testing, he said, which the current lot cannot accommodate.

Kobussen also noted that the company is considering installing a clean propane fueling station on the site, which he said aligns with a broader company shift away from diesel buses toward quieter, cleaner gasoline and propane models.