Casey’s suddenly drops plans for Port store

Port Washington won’t be home to a Casey’s General Store anytime soon.

The company, which has been working to locate a gas station, convenience store and car wash at the corner of highways LL and 33 for the past two years, informed officials late Friday that it was no longer pursuing a development at the site, Bob Harris, the city’s director of planning and development, said.

The Common Council had been slated to consider extending a conditional use permit for Casey’s on Tuesday, but that item was removed from the agenda after officials received the notice.

Casey’s was buying the 6.67-acre parcel from Ozaukee County, which acquired it when the state rebuilt Highway 33, replacing the ramps onto Highway LL with a roundabout.

But it took much of the last two years for the company to negotiate access rights with the state Department of Transportation. In June it was resolved when the county agreed to pay the DOT $274,000 for access to the site from both highways 33 and LL.

“I was surprised,” Harris said of the company’s decision. “We were so close. They stuck around while the state and county got their business addressed.”

Harris said the company gave no reason for its decision, sending its notice to the city through the company designing the store.

Mayor Marty Becker said he wasn’t overly surprised by the company’s decision, noting Casey’s recently pulled out of a planned development in Slinger.

“I would love to have had Casey’s here,” Becker said. “But it’s a corporate decision.”

He expressed frustration with the decision, however, noting that the city put a substantial amount of effort into working with the firm.

“I have a problem with all the staff time and effort that was used for this and then they back out,” Becker said. “It’s frustrating to think of all the time that was spent.

“I’ve seen it with a lot of projects — they come before us, they use staff time and then nothing develops.” 

  The gas station and convenience store would have been the first in many years along the city’s western entrance, and Harris said officials had hoped it would spur other development in the area.

Whether a 90-unit apartment building planned by Cardinal Capital Management for the lot behind Casey’s is affected by the decision has yet to be seen, Harris said.

“Hopefully they still move forward,” he said. 

The city needs to move ahead with plans for the area, Becker added.

“Let’s move on and try to develop that land,” Becker said. Let’s hope we can put something as good or better there.”

Ozaukee County Administrator Jason Dzwinel had no comment on Casey’s decision. 

The county Public Works Committee was scheduled to discuss the company’s decision at its Thursday, Sept. 17, meeting.