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.
Rezoning of 703, 707, and 713 Roy Avenue
Five Shawano Avenue homes were rezoned from Low Density Residential to Public Institutional.
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.
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.'
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
New garage requirements for 3-4 family residences
A December 2025 zoning update now requires enclosed garage stalls for three- and four-unit buildings. A Crooks Street landlord got caught in the transition and won a variance to avoid rebuilding a condemned garage.
Green Bay's first accessory dwelling unit permit
A homeowner at 123 Joan Avenue wants to add a 691-square-foot mother-in-law suite with its own entrance and utilities. The approval sets the city's first precedent under its ADU rules, which require owner occupancy, cap size at 1,000 square feet, and bar short-term rental use of the ADU.
Georgia-Pacific parking lot reconstruction variances
The city's newer landscaping rules for big parking lots collided with a century-old mill that needs every stall it can get. The board sided with the mill, trading landscaping requirements for new lighting, fencing, and better stormwater treatment.
Janice Avenue land use change to low-density residential
A long-vacant, flood-constrained parcel surrounded by apartments will shift from multifamily to low-density residential designation, allowing seven single-family homes. Some commissioners argued for townhomes to add density, but environmental constraints carried the day.
Two driveway entrances at 804 Ninth Street
A landlocked narrow lot needs two alley driveways so a new affordable home can be built while the neighboring house at 802 keeps its garage access. The board agreed this unusual setup justified bending the one-driveway-per-lot rule.
Duplex driveway extension variance, Bellevue Street
A duplex owner poured concrete driveways leading to the front doors without permit approval, hoping to retroactively keep them for tenant parking. The board denied the variance, citing safety access and no real hardship; the owner must now work with the building inspector to bring it as close to code as possible.
7 Brew warming hut front-yard setback variance
The drive-through coffee shop wanted a small hut in its front yard so outdoor order-takers could get out of the cold. The board said no because the hardship came from the business model, not the property itself.
109-foot cell tower on Woodside Road
A conditional use permit allows a wireless communications tower in a residentially zoned district in the 600 block of Woodside Road, with conditions.
1109 S. Taylor Street rezoning to commercial
The city rezoned this residential parcel to commercial and amended its 2050 comprehensive plan to match, clearing the way for commercial development at the site. The public hearing drew no speakers.