Green Bay · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Green Bay public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Electric vehicle fuel station at 1240 Radisson Street
Wattslots Properties LLC wants a conditional use permit to run an electric vehicle fueling station on Radisson Street. It would add EV charging infrastructure to the neighborhood.
Vacant property registration and fee ordinance
The city wants to create a new registration and fee system for vacant commercial buildings, with penalties that follow properties through ownership transfers. Property owners and realtors showed up to oppose it, and the council couldn't reach agreement — it's heading back to committee for rework.
University Avenue commercial rezone
Seven properties on University Avenue were rezoned from General Commercial to Highway Commercial, opening up more intensive commercial uses along the corridor.
Resurrection Lutheran Church accessory building at 1004 Shawano Avenue
The pantry serving families every two minutes wanted a garage-style building for freezer space and weather-protected distribution, but the board couldn't legally justify a 5-foot setback next to a home. The project can't proceed as designed; staff suggested working on alternatives.
Resurrection Lutheran food pantry expansion denied
The pantry serving families every two minutes wanted a garage-style building for freezer space and weather-protected distribution, but the board couldn't legally justify a 5-foot setback next to a home. The project can't proceed as designed; staff suggested working on alternatives.
Privacy fencing on through lots along Lakeside Place
Homes fronting both Lakeside Place and East Shore Drive can't legally build tall privacy fences facing Lakeside. The board granted one, treating Lakeside Place as functionally an alley — a precedent relevant to other bay-side through lots.
920 Crooks Street single-family use in OR zone
A single-family home that predates the office-residential zoning needs a conditional use permit so its owner can sell. Commissioners noted this will keep happening along South Webster and discussed getting ahead of it citywide.
Residential use in Office-Residential district at 920 Crooks Street
Ann Larscheid received a conditional use permit letting her single-family home continue in the Office-Residential zone, with conditions if the use lapses.
Rezoning of 703, 707, and 713 Roy Avenue
Five Shawano Avenue homes were rezoned from Low Density Residential to Public Institutional.
Irvington Street land-use change to residential
A stretch of Irvington Street properties was changed from future Regional Commercial to Mixed Residential in the city's comprehensive plan — shaping what can be built there.
Conditional use permits for homes in the S-RLI district
Five permits allow single-family homes within a special residential-light-industrial district on S. Chestnut Avenue and S. Broadway, with conditions.
Oneida Nation in-trust properties
The committee got its requested recap of properties the Oneida Nation has put into federal trust since the 2021 Cooperative Governance Agreement. Only residential properties appear so far, and quarterly reporting is running a quarter behind.
Single-family homes in the S-RLI district near S. Chestnut and S. Broadway
Five single-family homes are going into a light-industrial zoned pocket between S. Chestnut and S. Broadway. It reflects the neighborhood's shift toward residential use amid strong housing demand — good news for people wanting homes near the Shipyard area.
Corner lot setback standards for residential infill
The board granted a variance letting a new single-family home on a Baumgart Rd corner lot build closer to the side street than the code normally allows. It's a small tweak for one house, but shows how the board handles corner-lot rules that shape neighborhood street appearances.
Front-yard parking stall variance at 3377 Scottwood Drive
Gerrits wanted a 10-foot parking pad in front of his converted condo entrances to ease a two-family parking crunch. The board said the hardship was self-created and the pad would block emergency access to front doors.
Residential variance standards and application form
Board members flagged a 'bait and switch' problem: the variance application form lists the three-step statutory test, but the board judges on five different factors. Staff noted the five factors already appear on page four of the seven-page form.
14th Avenue front-yard fence denial
A duplex owner wanted a six-foot solid front fence for privacy and outdoor living space, citing backyard flooding and foot traffic. The board called it a 'fortress' and said vegetation or a shorter open fence could achieve the goal within code.
Residential porch setback variance at 1122 Wilson Avenue
A narrow, long lot on Division Street couldn't fit a code-compliant side porch, and the replacement porch sits where an old one did. The board granted the variance, finding no detriment and no neighbor objections.
Humboldt Road accessory garage denial
An eight-acre parcel near the Brown County line can't have a garage bigger than the house, even for storing tractors and maintenance equipment. The board found the request 'nice but not necessary.'
Steven Street front-yard parking denial
Gerrits wanted a 10-foot parking pad in front of his converted condo entrances to ease a two-family parking crunch. The board said the hardship was self-created and the pad would block emergency access to front doors.
Irvington Street homes made conforming uses
Fourteen parcels on Irvington Street move from commercial to residential land use, rezoned to Office-Residential rather than the low-density residential originally proposed, with 901 Irvington left out.
Repetitive variance patterns and potential zoning code changes
The board approved a variance because the code's corner front setback rule — matching the neighbor's 86-foot setback on an 86-foot-deep lot — left no room for a house. Chair Halvorsen suggested the code itself might need review.
Rethinking the comprehensive plan's land use map
Staff floated replacing the parcel-by-parcel future land use map with a district-level matrix rating uses desirable, allowable or undesirable — which could mean fewer time-consuming comp plan amendments for applicants. It's early; no action yet.
Telecommunications tower near Deckner Avenue
A wireless communications facility was approved in a Public Institutional district at 2222 Deckner Avenue/2300 block Newberry Avenue on a 9-3 vote after a resident spoke in the floor discussion.
Dunkin' Donuts drive-through buffer variance at 1538 W. Mason Street
A Dunkin' Donuts replacing a former coffee shop wants its drive-through back in the original layout, with improvements 12 feet from a residentially used parcel instead of the required 20-foot buffer. The board found the existing trees, distance, and elimination of cut-through traffic made it acceptable.
Oversized metal shed at 2265 Ironwood Drive
A homeowner got permission for a metal shed bigger than the 120-square-foot residential limit, with a promise to fix corrosion or remove the building.
Metal shed permit rules under scrutiny
Commissioner Miller argued the $375 CUP requirement for any metal-sided shed over 120 square feet is arbitrary — vinyl is fine, metal isn't — and asked staff to look at an easier path for homeowners.
Zoning code changes for animal boarding facilities, kennels and shelters
The city is updating its zoning rules for animal boarding facilities, kennels and shelters, and the commission approved the text amendments.
Animal boarding, kennel, and shelter zoning changes
A code cleanup would let animal boarding facilities, kennels, and shelters operate in OR, NC, and downtown mixed-use districts, where animal hospitals and groomers are already allowed. Existing rules still require soundproofing, indoor runs, licensing, and a 100-foot dog-kennel setback from residential lots.
Deferred land-use table amendments
A broader set of Chapter 44 land use table amendments was pulled from the agenda and will get its public hearing August 10.
Taller industrial storage buildings near I-43
GLC Minerals can now build mineral storage structures up to 70 feet tall on its Bylsby Avenue site — a big lift from the standard 35-foot cap. Since the whole area is industrial and largely shielded from homes, the commission saw little downside.
Sand and salt storage structure height at West Side Municipal Garage
The Street Department stopped using its outdoor salt and sand bunker because WisDOT requires materials to be covered and manually uncovering it in winter storms was unsafe. A new $115,245 tension fabric structure will fix that.
Humboldt Road future land use change
The Basten family wants land at 3290 Humboldt Road shifted from low-density to mixed residential in the city's 2050 plan — opening the door to a broader range of housing types. Council has the final say.
Woodside Road rezoning and comprehensive plan amendment
The 600 block of Woodside Road was rezoned from low-density to varied-density residential and its comprehensive plan designation updated, opening the door to denser housing there.
Single-family home at 1033 Gray Street
A lot carved out of a mortgage company parcel in 2025 needs a conditional use permit before a single-family home can be built in the office-residential zone. The applicant is replacing parking lot asphalt with green space. It heads to City Council July 7.
Woodside Road residential rezone
Part of the 600 block of Woodside Road can now support more housing density — the comp plan and zoning both moved from R1 to R3 with conditions, advancing on first reading.
Front-yard parking at 1300 Edgewood Drive
A homeowner sought a variance to the rule that driveways must lead directly to a garage or legal parking stall. The board's unanimous denial keeps the standard setback requirement in place for this R1 Low Density Residential property.
Front yard parking setback variance hardship standards
A corner-lot family can't legally add a side driveway because the code treats their corner side yard as a front yard. The board sympathized but said state variance rules tie its hands — a recurring frustration for homeowners with teenage drivers and tight parking.
Woodside Road assisted living expansion
A comp plan amendment and rezone will let the Basten family's assisted living facility expand onto about 3.7 acres of adjacent farmland, avoiding split zoning and future flag lots.
1835 Ridge Road PUD amendment near Lambeau Field
The original plan paired two parcels across a land swap; that deal fell through, so the PUD was redrawn around existing parcels. The fight was over parking count versus protecting the home at 1820 Frank Street with buffers and fencing.
Night parking ordinance update
The city wants its night parking ordinance to match how overnight parking exceptions are already handled in practice, and to let the committee and Council approve requests longer than the standard allowance. It was held so the law department can tweak the wording.
Historic district design review standards
Three Astor Historic District projects cleared the commission this month, all judged consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. Homeowners in historic districts should expect design review for exterior changes — even rear-facing work like decks.
315 S. Jefferson Street conditional use permit
Neighbors packed the floor to weigh in on this CUP before the Council approved it 10-2 with extra conditions, including a six-month check-in and mandatory PD cooperation on drug confiscation.
JBS Redevelopment Site PUD amendment
The old JBS property on Guns Road got a reworked planned unit development, clearing the way for redevelopment of a large industrial site. The Council tweaked the development-area language before adopting it.
Valvoline Instant Oil Change at 895 S. Military Avenue
A Valvoline Instant Oil Change wanted to open at 895 S. Military Avenue, which needs a conditional use permit for minor motor vehicle repair in the C3 commercial zone. The commission approved it with conditions.
Vehicle repair use at 895 S. Military Ave.
Valvoline wants to run an instant oil change and minor auto repair shop in a commercial condo on Military Avenue — staff saw it as a fit for the corridor, and nobody objected.
Rooming house at 828 Cherry Street
Neighbors weighed in before the council narrowly approved a rooming house conditional use permit on a 9-3 vote.
Grandview PUD amendment and development patterns
Developers are fine-tuning the 2014 Grandview traditional neighborhood development — shifting multifamily and townhome layouts, adding carriage courts, and updating setbacks to the new zoning code. Neighbors are frustrated about repeated changes and late mailed notices.
Congregate living concentration on the near-east side
A 20-bed sober-living rooming house at 828 Cherry Street exposed a bigger question: 13 of the city's 16 mapped congregate living facilities sit in downtown aldermanic districts 7 and 9, and the zoning code has no concentration limits for most of them. Neighbors and Commissioner Daniels want that looked at.
JBS site boundary cleanup with Bellevue
A land swap with the Village of Bellevue means the former JBS site parcel is now fully in Green Bay's PUD, and the Walmart parking lot officially belongs to Walmart. Mostly paperwork.