Town OKs division of Abloom Farm Resort land

A request to create three lots on an 18-acre property was granted by the Town of Saukville Plan Commission Tuesday.

Katy Rowe and Dale Stenbroten, who operate the Abloom Farm Resort at the corner of Highway 33 and Birchwood Road, asked the town to approve a land division that would create two five-acre lots and one eight-acre lot.

No one spoke at a public hearing on the request Tuesday, but commission members said the town received several letters from residents concerned about the request.

Among the concerns is the idea that any houses built there could be used for short-term rentals through Airbnb and similar companies to provide lodging for people attending events at Abloom.

Stenbroten told the Planning Commission that his family plans to build homes for themselves, and there are no plans to rent out the residences.

Town Chairman Kevin Kimmes, the commission chairman, said he felt “comfortable” with Stenbroten’s assurances.

Kimmes added that the town has previously rescinded approvals when applicants failed to be truthful to the planning commission.

Rowe told Ozaukee Press the family no plans to sell the lots or build homes on them to sell.

“We’re just exploring our options,” Rowe said. “We just thought that it was a good idea because at some point we might want to put a house there for my daughter to have her own space.”

Rowe said her daughter may take over the business some day.

“We consider it a family business,” she said. “We’re taking things one step at a time.”

The Town Plan Commission was scheduled to review the proposal Tuesday night.

The Ozaukee County Natural Resources Committee gave its blessing to the proposal when it met last week.

The county has jurisdiction because the owners are seeking to create three separate residential lots in a shoreland zoning area.

The county review did not address what Rowe and Stenbroten intend to put on the property or why they are seeking the land division.

County officials found that the parcels are not in a flood zone and do not contain wetlands or a navigable stream.

Soil borings still need to be conducted to determine the sites’ suitability for an on-site water treatment system. Drainage and grading plans also have not been submitted, according to county documents.

The committee also approved a plan that allows access to the new lots to be created off Highway 33 and Birchwood Road.

If Rowe and Stenbroten seek to further divide the property, they will have to return to the county to get approval.

The Abloom resort made news in recent years when the pair bought the former Tranquility Tree Farm from the John and Elizabeth Feith family in 2019 and began operating the resort for weddings.

But after a story on the retreat was published in Ozaukee Press, it came to the attention of town officials that they needed a  permit to operate as a business.

That began a nearly two-year tussle between Rowe and Stenbroten with the town to get the permit, create a new zoning designation for the resort and deal with noise complaints.

Those complaints were resolved after the owners took measures to mitigate noise coming from the wedding barn by closing windows and adding insulation.

At one time, they asked the town to allow them to build three cottages on the property that could be rented and which would lessen their reliance on the wedding barn and would reduce noise.

But town Plan Commission members voted against the proposal, saying they weren’t interested in writing new ordinances or seeing further development on the property.

County Planning and Parks Director Andrew Struck received several letters from neighbors to the resort, generally saying Stenbroten and Rowe are good neighbors but that they would oppose their plan if it meant increased development or higher housing density in the area.