AMENDED Plan Commission

PLAN COMMISSION City of Kaukauna Council Chambers Municipal Services Building 144 W. Second Street, Kaukauna Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 4:00 PM MINUTES In-Person in Council Chambers Mayor Penterman called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. 1. Roll Call Members Present: Giovanna Feller, John Neumeier, John Moore, Michael Avanzi, Ken Schoenike, Pennie Thiele, Mayor Tony Penterman Members Absent: Brett Jensen Others Present: Associate Planner Adrienne Nelson, Times Villager Reporter Brian Roebke, Owner of GE Contracting Brian Vanderloop, Representatives from the Kaukauna Area School District and Point of Beginning, Representatives from Peters Concrete and Mach IV Engineering and Surveying Moore made a motion to excuse the absent member. Seconded by Thiele. The motion passed unanimously. 2. Approval of Minutes a. Approve Minutes from December 4, 2025 Moore made a motion to approve the minutes from December 4, 2025. Seconded by Avanzi. The motion passed unanimously. 3. Old Business a. None 4. New Business a. Façade Review & Variance Request – 1020 W Hyland Avenue (GE Contracting) Associate Planner Nelson introduced the façade plan submitted by GE Contracting for a new building to be constructed at 1020 W Hyland Avenue. Per section 17.53(2) of the Municipal Code, when new construction or an addition is proposed within a commercial, industrial, institutional, or multifamily district, façade elevations must be submitted to and approved by the Plan Commission. This parcel is zoned Commercial Highway District and must follow the standards set forth in section 17.53(3)(a) of the Municipal Code. These standards prohibit the use of exterior corrugated metal or standing seam metal panels in facades and require a minimum of 10% masonry on any side of the building that faces a public street. The Plan Commission may, however, allow for the use of standing seam metals for up to 10% of the façade when used for decorative purposes. The applicant is proposing the use of metal panel siding that would run horizontally in order to provide a similar look to traditional siding. The appearance would be similar to that of the Dollar Tree out by the Piggly Wiggly. The 10% masonry requirement is being met, and the design will match that of the existing GE Contracting building. The applicant is requesting a variance to allow for the use of pro rib steel paneling for 10% of the façade. This would wrap around ¾ of the bottom of the building and would be used for aesthetic purposes. Staff is recommending that the Plan Commission approve the design as presented as long as there are no concerns with the proposed pro rib steel paneling. Moore asked if pro rib steel paneling has been used before in this zoning district. Nelson explained that pro rib steel paneling has not been approved during her time on staff, but that there is no reason not to approve it unless the Plan Commission felt it would not meet the aesthetics of the area. Moore asked for confirmation that the side of the building with the entrance door and overhead door would be the side facing the public street.  Nelson confirmed that the side of the building with the entrance door and overhead door would be the side of the building that faces the public street. No other side of the building is directly adjacent to a public street. Neumeier asked if the use of metal instead of vinyl siding would need to be part of the variance. The metal siding is not standing seam, and the proposed product is much different, but because it is metal would a variance need to be granted for the entire building? Nelson explained that the ordinance prohibits exterior corrugated metal, standing seam metal paneling, and “the like”, so it depends on if the Plan Commission would consider the metal paneling to be similar enough to the prohibited materials to require a variance. Moore commented that it would be a good idea to specify the allowance of metal siding in the motion so everyone knows it was reviewed and discussed. Nelson agreed with Moore, and suggested that it may be helpful to direct staff to work on clarifying the ordinance and what sort of metal facades are or are not allowed. Neumeier made a motion to grant a variance that would permit the use of metal siding that gives the appearance of vinyl siding as well as the use of the pro rib steel for 10% of the façade and directed staff to look into updating the ordinance to provide further clarity for future discussions. Seconded by Feller. The motion passed unanimously. b. Site Plan Review – KASD Associate Planner Nelson introduced the site plan submitted by the Kaukauna Area School District and Point of Beginning for the construction of the new middle school. The parcels for the new middle school are currently zoned Residential Single Family (RSF) and setbacks requirements for that zoning district are currently being met. The proposed square footage of the building is 263,008 square feet with a proposed heigh of 45’6”. The height of the building is not in compliance with height requirements for the RSF, which set the maximum height at 35’. The land will need to be rezoned to Institutional (IT) to allow for the proposed height. There is a total of 459 off-street parking spaces proposed for the development. Landscaping is compliant but staff is recommending planting and overseeding the entire site in order to reduce runoff. Staff is also recommending using native plants and establishing native prairies in undeveloped areas. Staff has noted that the majority of plantings proposed in the site plan are native plants. Lighting is compliant and staff is recommending review of all exterior light fixtures and switching to dark sky compliant fixtures if possible, which the developer has already taken into consideration. The developer will work with the Engineering Department to complete Erosion Control and Stormwater Management permitting. A permit application was received and is currently in the review process. There are no concerns with egress and ingress to the school itself, and the roundabout will be addressed in the final certified survey map (CSM). No concerns were received from fire or police. The proposed site elevations meet façade requirements. Staff is recommending approval of the development with the following conditions: prior to the issuance of building permits, Stormwater and Erosion Control permits must be obtained from the Engineering Department, the CSM must be approved by the Common Council, formal approval of site plans and access must be obtained from the Kaukauna Fire Department, and the site must be rezoned from RSF to IT. Moore asked when the rezoning would come before the Plan Commission. Nelson stated that she spoke with the applicants regarding the timeline for a rezoning. The submission would first need to go before the Common Council for introduction, then to Plan Commission for recommendation. There would need to be a class two notice and then it would go before Common Council for final approval. If the rezoning request is submitted as soon as possible, it could be approved as early as the middle of February. Moore asked if the Kaukauna Area School District intends to rezone the whole property, or just the portion that the school is on. Chris McDaniel, the Kaukauna Area School District’s Director of Operations and Finance, explained that the district just intends to rezone the school site at this time. There are no plans to develop the land outside of the school at this time. They are currently working through the final CSM, which will be coming before the Plan Commission in about a month. Thiele asked for further clarification on which parcels (once the CSM is approved) would be rezoned. Would two be the only one rezoned, with one and three determined further down the road? McDaniel confirmed that parcel two would be rezoned, but not in its entirety. The area that would be rezoned encompasses the whole site plan being presented. Neumeier stated that he was able to speak with the fire department and they had no concerns about site access, but that they did want to confirm knox box locations. These locations can be worked out in the final details of the plan. There were no concerns noted by the police department either. There are a couple of stormwater issues that will need to be addressed, but that is common when dealing with a large site. Neumeier asked if snow storage locations had already been considered. McDaniel explained that snow storage locations include the green area by the retention pond, the flat area to the north, south along the tree line, the grass between the football field and track, and east by the other retention pond where there are tentative plans to build a maintenance building in the future. Snow could also be stored in some of the parking areas near the football field, which would only include about 30-40 lots. Neumeier suggested widening the entrance at Loderbauer. There is a large neighborhood to the east, and he anticipates that there will be a lot of kids walking and biking from that neighborhood. He would like to see a provision for crossing and the inclusion of flashing lights and crossing guards. McDaniel agreed with Neumeier, and stated that they had already spoken to the police chief about moving the two crossing guards currently stationed near the present middle school to the new one. McDaniel would want one of the crossing for sure stationed at Loderbauer, and he is also supportive of flashing lights. Lot of walking traffic is expected from that side. Neumeier stated that there are a number of easements for various utilities on this site. Sanitary would come up from the Konkapot interceptor and onto and through the school site to service the rest of the development west of the school if and when that land develops up. He wants to see the layout of the sanitary sewer in the site plan from the north edge of the property all the way out to Speedway Lane designed, if not fully installed. Additionally, address signage will need to be moved up to the right-of-way at each entrance. Finally, he had some questions on the 12’ chain link fence that was being proposed for the baseball field. McDaniel explained that there is a retaining wall in the outfield, so the field itself will be lower. The height of the fence can definitely be discussed. It is a different looking baseball field, but similar in many ways to the current varsity field. Neumeier asked if the school district had looked at having electric vehicle charging stations or solar. McDaniel stated that, at minimum, they plan to have a conduit installed in the west parking lot for staff, but that there are no plans for solar at this time. Neumeier complimented the architecture of the building. The inverted roof areas give a nice nod to the old Riverview School. The landscaping is above and beyond what the City asks for, with just a few plants that would need to be changed. Moore asked if plowing would be done privately from Highway 55 to the school. McDaniel confirmed that plowing would be done privately from Highway 55 to the school. Moore asked if the road would need to be redone to meet specs for the City if and when the area develops up. McDaniel confirmed that the road would need to be redone to meet specs for the City. It would either be on the school if they decide to develop the land, or on whatever developer they sell it to. The school board is not looking to sell the land at this time. Eventually, however, it will become a public road. Moore asked if there were any plans for signage to identify that this is a private road and not intended for through use. McDaniel stated that clarification can be added to the entrance signage. Moore asked if speed limit signs would be added. McDaniel stated that speed limit signage would be added under guidance from the police department. It will likely be ten to fifteen miles per hour. Neumeier asked for more details on the main flow of traffic. McDaniel provided an overview of the school’s plan for traffic. There will be over 400 parking spots. There will be an area for emergency personnel as well as a special education drop-off area. The general structure for parents to drop-off their kids is a loop of continuous traffic where parents can pull off to let their kids hop out to the curb without  them needing to cross traffic. Additionally, there will be diagonal parking spots available for parents. There will be a designated bus drop-off area with a drop-off lane as well. Bus traffic and trucks will go out from Loderbauer. The staff lot will have angled parking and another drop-off lane. Mayor Penterman asked if the school intends to utilize the woods for ecology classes. McDaniel stated that they do intend to utilize the woods for ecology classes, and the high school already does so. He added that they’ve designed the building so that every classroom has views of the woods to the north. There will be limited interactions between grades, with 5 th graders on the first floor and 8th graders on the second floor. Avanzi asked if the school will be installing and maintaining its own lighting. McDaniel stated that the school will be installing and maintaining its own lighting. Avanzi commented that he is glad the school is thinking about conduits on the front end so they don’t need to remove concrete and asphalt in order to install conduits at a later date. He added that Kaukauna Utilities can provide rebates if they do decide to install chargers. Avanzi moved to approve the site plan with the following conditions: prior to issuance of building permits, Stormwater and Erosion Control permits must be obtained from the Engineering Department, the certified survey map (CSM) must be approved by Common Council, formal approval of site plans and access must be obtained from the Kaukauna Fire Department, and the site must be rezoned from RSF to It. Seconded by Neumeier. The motion passed unanimously. c. 17.25 Ordinance Amendment – Data Centers  Associate Planner Nelson introduced the proposed ordinance amendment to section 17.25 of the Municipal Code. This update would allow for data centers in the Industrial District (IND) as a special exception. Section 17.47 of the Municipal Code, which covers special exceptions, states that the Plan Commission may recommend to the Common Council appropriate additional conditions as deemed necessary for the special exception to be approved. Per the Common Council’s request, staff put together a list of possible conditions and safeguard. These suggested conditions are as follows: no off-site parking is to be used for the day-to-day operations of the business, yearly inspection is to be done by the Planning and Community Development Department or other designee to ensure compliance, if the ownership or proposed use changes the applicant/property owner must go through the special exception process again, electrical usage must not exceed a certain amount without prior approval from the Common Council with recommendation from Kaukauna Utilities, water usage must not exceed a certain amount without prior approval from the Common Council with recommendation from Kaukauna Utilities, and any additions, new buildings, and changes in use must be reviewed and approved by the Common Council. Staff is recommending approval to the Common Council. Neumeier asked for clarification on the suggested conditions and safeguards. These are just suggestions and additional limits, including limits on discharge or limits put in place to address traffic concerns, could be added as well. Nelson confirmed that these are just suggestions and are not a part of the ordinance itself. The Plan Commission can recommend approval with the appropriate conditions as they deem fit. These are just suggestions and do not limit the ability to add additional conditions. Thiele made a motion to recommend approval to the Common Council. Seconded by Schoenike. The motion passed unanimously. d. Extraterritorial CSM – Town of Vandenbroek  Associate Planner Nelson introduced the extraterritorial CSM submitted for review by Troy Hewitt on behalf of North Kaukauna Storage Units LLC. This CSM would create two parcels from parcels 200021800, 200021801, 200021802, and 200021803 in the Town of Vandenbroek for the facilitation of a storage unit development. These parcels fall within the extraterritorial review area of the City of Kaukauna, which is why the CSM is being brought before the Plan Commission. These parcels are located west of Commerce Crossing and, per the City’s future land use map, this area was planned to eventually become public land. There are, however, no plans for annexation and the parcels are not contiguous with any property within the city. Staff has not noted any concerns with the CSM and is recommending approval. Moore made a motion to approve the extraterritorial certified survey map creating two lots as presented. Seconded by Feller. The motion passed unanimously. e. *Site Plan Review – Peters Concrete Associate Planner Nelson introduced the site plan submitted by Peters Concrete, a concrete business that has purchased the former Griesbach Ready-Mix plant located at 380 Farmland Court. They plan to construct a new facility and raze the old facility. The new facility will have 457 more square footage. All setback requirements are being met and all ordinances are being complied with. The old facility had a height of 40’ and the new facility will have a height of 46’6”. There is currently no off-street parking, and they will be adding sixteen parking stalls. Two autumn blaze maples will be planted in the front yard setback. Light fixtures will be added to points of ingress and egress. The Erosion Control and Stormwater Management permit has been received by the Engineering Department and is currently being reviewed. There are no concerns with traffic at this time and no concerns were noted by fire or police. The proposed site elevations meet façade requirements. Staff is recommending approval with the following condition: prior to issuance of building permits, Stormwater and Erosion Control permits must be obtained from the Engineering Department. Moore asked that dark sky compliant lighting be considered by the developers. Schoenike asked if additional jobs would be added at the new facility, Jared Peters, owner of Peters Concrete, explained that there are no plans to add additional staff at this time, but that the concrete would provide for many other jobs in the area. Neumeier asked for confirmation that parking will not impede access to the building. Peters confirmed that the proposed parking spaces would not impede access to the building. Avanzi asked if the new facility would have the same electrical demand as the old facility. Will there be more equipment? Peters explained that the current facility is quite small. There will be a large barrel for mixing, which will have a large energy demand, but it will not be used every day. Avanzi encouraged Peters to work with Kaukauna Utilities to meet the new energy demand. He also asked if the transformer would need to be removed or updated. Peters explained that they will need a new underground service and will eventually disconnect the current service. They are waiting, however, until the new plant is built. Schoenike made a motion to approve the site plan with the following condition: prior to issuance of building permits, Stormwater and Erosion Control permits must be obtained from the Engineering Department. Seconded by Moore. The motion passed unanimously. 5. Other Business a. None 6. Adjourn Avanzi made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Moore. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 4:54 p.m.