Imminent DOT decision to decide fate of Casey’s in Port

The question of whether a Casey’s General Store will be built on Port Washington’s west side may be answered in the next month.

The Port Washington Plan Commission last week was poised to extend for a year a conditional use permit allowing construction of the store at the corner of Grand Avenue, also known as Highway 33, and Highway LL.

The extension was being sought because the Department of Transportation has not decided whether it will allow access to the proposed store from Highway 33.

However, Lauren Downing, project manager with ARC Design Resources, which is designing the store for Casey’s, said the company had just met with DOT officials who told them a decision would be forthcoming in the next couple weeks.

Because the question may be answered before the permit expires in August, the commission agreed to table the request until its July 18 meeting.

“Hopefully we’ll all have clarity by then,” Downing said.

“There are a lot of moving pieces right now,” Bob Harris, the city’s director of planning and development, said.

  By the next meeting, Harris said, the city may know whether the DOT will allow the access and what requirements must be met to obtain the access. 

“It would be wonderful if they would make a decision,” Mayor Marty Becker said.

Casey’s, which has an option to purchase the property from Ozaukee County, has proposed constructing a roughly 4,286-square-foot red brick building with a hip roof on the site. The building would have stone pillars in front and a car wash in back. Six gas pumps with a total of 12 filling stations would be in front of the building.

But access to Highway 33 is key, officials have said. They have petitioned the DOT to find out if the agency will allow the existing median cut to remain with the addition of a left-turn lane on eastbound Grand Avenue for the store.

Casey’s officials have said they would be investing $4.3 million in the site. They also said the company plans to sell the northern three acres of the site for additional development, presumably commercial or residential development.

The city’s Fire Station Task Force has recommended the site be considered for a new firehouse.