Plan Commission

PLAN COMMISSION City of Kaukauna Council Chambers Municipal Services Building 144 W. Second Street, Kaukauna Thursday, June 19, 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: Brett Jensen, Giovanna Feller, John Neumeier, John Moore, Michael Avanzi, Ken Schoenike, Pennie Thiele, Mayor Tony Penterman Other(s) Present: Associate Planner Adrienne Nelson, Dan Meissner 2. Approval of Minutes a. Approve Minutes from May 22, 2025 Moore made a motion to approve the minutes from May 22, 2025. Seconded by Schoenike. Motion passed unanimously. 3. Old Business a. None 4. New Business a. Annexation Petition Review – Parcel 030032306 Associate Planner Nelson presented the annexation request from Gregory Lauer for a direct annexation of parcel 030032306. The annexation request is for a total of 16.905 acres. As it currently stands, the property would default to Residential Single-Family for zoning if the annexation is approved, which is compliant with the City’s comprehensive plan. The property is able to be serviced with water and sewer by the City, which is one of the reasons the owner of the property is requesting to annex into the City. Moore asked for additional information on plans for sidewalks if the annexation is approved. Neumeier noted that there would not be a ton of additional sidewalk required for this area. It would be paid for by property owners when the area develops. Avanzi asked if the water and sewer lines would come off Peters Road. Neumeier confirmed that they would. Nelson emphasized that this approval is solely for annexation. Approval for any future development would come later. Avanzi made a motion to approve the annexation request for parcel 030032306 and recommend the same to Common Council. Seconded by Schoenike. Motion passed unanimously. b. Site Plan Review – 301 W 7th Street (Club Ritz) Associate Planner Nelson provided an overview of the site plan for an addition to Club Ritz. The project will add an additional 1,840 square feet of room to allow for ADA bathrooms as well as for a game room. This will be a one-story addition with a height of 17’. There are currently five off- street parking spaces. The remaining parking spaces utilized by Club Ritz are on-street parking in the public right-of-way. Staff has noted that a six- foot-tall opaque fence must be installed on the western side of the property with one shrub per ten feet of fence in order to meet the buffer requirements set forth in section 17.52 of the Municipal Code. The addition will not add any lighting and there will be no change to ingress or egress. Erosion control and stormwater management permits must be obtained from the Engineering Department before work begins. The current occupancy limit of 86 people will not be allowed to increase despite the addition. The facade will be made up of both stone and standard siding, which meets the facade requirements, but a Certificate of Appropriateness will need to be obtained from the Redevelopment Authority. Neumeier brought up the following notes and concerns: it is likely that at least two of the on-street angle stalls will be eliminated when the roads are re-paved in a few years due to their proximity to the intersection/crosswalks, if any of the on-street parking is re-installed after road reconstruction it will be at the owner’s expense, snow removal for that on-street parking would be the owner’s responsibility which may cause additional stalls to be lost during snow clean-up operations, one of the stalls in the off-street lot must be an ADA stall, and all parking must be angled and not ninety degree because of the width of access. Neumeier noted that at the rezoning hearing for this property, the owner of Club Ritz stated that the expansion would only be so that ADA bathrooms could be added, and that no game room was mentioned during that time. He liked the original proposal which included ADA bathrooms and additional parking spaces in lieu of a game room. Neumeier stated he was not in favor of this site plan because it would add space to the building but would not add additional parking to accommodate this space. Thiele asked who would be monitoring the occupancy of Club Ritz. Would people be kicked out if the occupancy limit was exceeded? Moore pointed out that occupancy limits being exceeded could be an issue at many bars, but the City is unaware of it until someone complains. Mayor Penterman added on that the police don’t actively monitor the bars unless a complaint is made. Then, the issue is addressed. Schoenike asked if there have been any recent complaints about Club Ritz. Penterman explained that there have been issues in the past with Club Ritz, particularly with motorcyclists speeding, but that things have been quiet the past two years. Meissner emphasized that the addition to Club Ritz is to allow for ADA bathrooms, space for coolers and storage, and to create a more comfortable environment. Schoenike made a motion to approve the site plan with the following conditions: stormwater and erosion control permits are obtained from the Engineering Department prior to the issuance of building permits, the occupancy limit will remain at 86 people, a fence will be added on the western side of the property with plantings per 17.52 of the Municipal Code, angle parking is to remain on the street (no changes to ninety degree stalls), off-street parking stalls must also be angled parking due to access aisle width, a right-of-way permit is obtained prior to any work being done in the public right-of-way, a Certificate of Appropriateness is obtained from the Redevelopment Authority (RACK) for the façade, one ADA stall and path should be provided for the off-street parking, and any on-street stall marked as ADA must meet all slope/dimension requirements. Seconded by Avanzi. Jensen, Feller, Moore, Avanzi, Schoenike, Thiele, and Penterman voted aye. Neumeier voted nay. Motion passed seven to one. c. Tree Replacement/Planting – Thelen and Fieldcrest Parks Associate Planner Nelson introduced the request to replace trees at Thelen and Fieldcrest parks and to finalize a tree planting policy that would allow staff to perform one-to-one replacements of trees without the approval of the Plan Commission. Moore asked if these plantings were in alignment with the park plan, which is currently in draft form. He expressed concern that the trees would be planted and would later need to be cut down or moved to make way for playground equipment or a sport court. Nelson explained that that level of detail is not planned for in the park plan. Avanzi asked if there was a possibility that citizens could donate trees to some of the city parks.  Nelson stated that tree donations are currently accepted and that staff is working on updating the park donation form. Avanzi made a motion to approve the replacement and addition of trees at Thelen and Fieldcrest parks and to direct staff to finalize a policy for future tree plantings and to take the proposed policy through the appropriate approval process. Seconded by Jensen. Motion passed unanimously. 5. Other Business a. None 6. Adjourn Jensen made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Moore. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m.