Airstream food trailer plan gets new life, again

The Airstream food truck proposed for downtown Port Washington seems to have the proverbial nine lives of a cat.

The Plan Commission last week reiterated its support for the venture and again recommended the Common Council approve a conditional use permit for the trailer.

Nick and Melissa Suddendorf have proposed placing the Airstream on a grassy lot at the corner of Pier and Franklin streets that they plan to buy along with the adjacent building. They would operate the trailer from May 1 to Oct. 31, using it as a concession stand to sell ice cream, sandwiches and other treats. 

A fire pit, tables and chairs, decorative lighting and landscaping would be added to the site.

The proposal has met with mixed reaction from officials, and earlier this month aldermen sent the matter back to the commission with questions about the site plan and whether the use is permitted under the city codes.

City Attorney Eric Eberhardt issued an opinion last week that the Airstream can be allowed under the city codes.

Plan Commission member Tony Matera said he believes the trailer would be an attraction for families, adding he doesn’t think it will detract from the historic downtown. 

“I applaud the applicants for thinking outside the box,” he said. “This land has been here a long time.”

The city agreed to allow Sherper’s to use a storage container as a rental facility for kayaks on the lakefront, Matera noted, while Public Works Director Rob Vanden Noven, a member of the commission, added that the city also approved a downtown vegetable stand housed in a tent.

“This does not set a precedent,” Vanden Noven said. 

The Airstream would be operated as a business, he added, comparing it to a shop that moves into a house. 

Given that the conditional use permit for the Airstream is effective for one year, he said the proposal is “a zero-risk proposal.”

“If it works, great, it stays. If it doesn’t, it leaves,” Vanden Noven said, adding that the Suddendorfs are invested in the community.

“This is a big investment on their part,” he said. “I understand the concerns. My opinion is the positives outweigh any concerns.”

Ald. Paul Neumyer, a member of the commission, said that after reading Eberhardt’s opinion, he does not believe the city can refuse to approve a permit for the trailer.

“I believe we almost have to approve the conditional use,” he said.

Members reviewed the site plan and said it meets their requirements, but recommended that the Suddendorfs tweak it with city staff members before the conditional use permit returns to the Common Council for action on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

The commission’s action came after four residents offered differing opinions on the trailer.

Barrett Genson, 1822 New Port Vista Dr., told the commission the trailer would be “out of place” in a historic downtown with dozens of buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

“I just think the location should be somewhere other than Franklin Street or Grand Avenue where other buildings are part of the historic designation,” Genson said. “After 40 years of trying to establish some aesthetic harmony of the building types in the downtown area, the city and current property owners are almost there.”

Allowing the Airstream, he said, “is a demeaning slap in the face of those who have made significant efforts to harmonize the downtown area ... to modernize it and yet keep it relevant to the historic nature of the city.”

Merton Lueptow, 955 Whitefish Rd., objected to the fact the trailer wouldn’t be assessed like a building or be subject to the business improvement district assessment.

“They’re getting an unfair share of the business without paying the taxes and BID like all other businesses do,” he said. “They’re competition to the 20 or more stores that have to pay more because they’re brick-and-mortar stores.”

But Dwayne Haskell, 767 W. Grand Ave., said the Airstream is itself “an iconic emblem of America.”

“If anything meets the definition of a historic item it would be an Airstream,” he said. “If approved, we can have an icon in downtown Port Washington that will draw tourists, will attract new businesses.”

“I think it’s retro and vintage and cool,” said Kay Kasum, 250 W. Chestnut St., who added that young people may consider an Airstream historic.

The trailer would likely attract young families, she said, adding the city has little to offer kids.

“I would encourage you to think outside the box. Think of the younger generation and try to do something fun,” Kasum said.

Haskell also said competition is good for the downtown.

“Competition is what creates businesses,” he said. “By stifling competition, you stifle business and you destroy the economy of the downtown area.”