Town to tackle autocross plan without study

A proposal from a national firm to do sound, traffic and stormwater studies at a site on which an autocross and drifting facility is proposed in the Town of Fredonia was denied by the Plan Commission last week.

Instead, the commission plans to take up the zoning change required to allow the controversial plan to move forward, one that has drawn crowds filling the Fredonia Government Center speaking against it.

Jay Bullington, owner of the automatic drivetrain upgrade company JXB Performance in Saukville, is seeking a conditional use permit to build a 17,000-square-foot headquarters for his business, a venue for motorsports activities, pavilion-like covered area, observation balcony and restaurant along with accessory uses. His proposed site is on 72 acres at the southeast corner of Highway 57 and Jay Road.

Town Attorney Nate Jung presented the items for the commission to consider before allowing the facility on March 4.

Changing the zoning from agriculture to business entails determining if the proposal is similar to businesses in the area, if it affects the public health and promotes general prosperity and if it could harm neighboring property owners.

“Individual rights of property owners should always be considered by a municipal zoning authority when presented with a request for change of zoning that’s substantially different than zoning surrounding the property,” Jung said.

“Right now the B2 zoning that’s nearby is the cheese factory (Cedar Valley Cheese).”

If the zoning change is approved, developing a conditional use permit involves more hurdles. The restaurant and business headquarters falls under the town’s list of uses in the B2 zoning district, but Jung questioned if autocross and drifting fit in.

“Right now I don’t think it would take long to come up with that answer. That’s something that seriously needs to be considered,” he said.

“We’ve made the applicant aware of that issue.”

Bullington declined to comment on the meeting.

Just approving the agenda, usually a formality for elected bodies at the start of meetings, facilitated a 10-minute-plus discussion.

Commissioner John Depies had requested the zoning change be put on the agenda after Jung’s presentation but before a presentation by Westwood Professional Services on its proposed engineering study.

Depies said he talked with Jung about the agenda, then with Town and Plan Commission Chairman Chris Janik and as a result he abstained from voting to approve the agenda.

“I had an informative meeting with both the town attorney and yourself on Monday,” Depies told Janik. “That’s why I’m abstaining to make sure that there’s transparency and nobody misconstrues what I do.”

Janik said the commission in January reached consensus to do the engineering studies, which would affect the zoning and conditional use permit, but didn’t have a scope of the studies or pricing information until last week.

Bullington conducted a sound test on Dec. 20, but residents, including Plan Commission members, determined the test was flawed since Bullington was in control of it. They suggested hiring an independent firm to do a test and have Bullington pay for it.

Commission member Jennifer Strohmeyer said the zoning should be handled before doing any studies.

“Would I want to be on the hook for that money if it’s not going to change?” she asked.

More than 15 people spoke against the plan last week, echoing concerns over noise, traffic, stormwater runoff and property values.

“Ask yourselves this question — would you like this in your neighborhood? I can only imagine you would answer a resounding no,” Katie Beilfuss of the Town of Saukville said.

Stacey Kannenberg, who lives on Cedar Valley Road a little more than a mile from the proposed site, turned in 54 more signatures on a petition opposing the plan, in addition to the 112 she presented in January. She said it doesn’t meet the town’s 2035 comprehensive plan.

Janik and other commissioners agreed to put zoning on the April agenda as an action item.