A public hearing was held by the Stanley Plan Commission consisting of members Jacob Huff, David Jankoski, James Ericksen, Rick Denzine, Mark Fitzsimmons, Jason Isenberger, and Mayor Mike Henke on March 3rd to consider an application filed by the City of Stanley for a rezoning request regarding the D.R. Moon Memorial Library. The hearing discussed rezoning two parcels located at 154 E 4th Avenue in Stanley, WI, from R-2 Residential to P-1 Public Facilities.
“It’s the current (library) building and the adjacent lot to the west,” Mayor Mike Henke explained that the application pertains to the current library building and its adjacent lot to the west. He pointed out that the current building has been zoned R-2 for a long time. “It probably should have been in P1 already,” Henke stated. With Commission member Isenberger absent, the council unanimously approved the rezoning request.
The Plan Commission also addressed a variance request related to the library property’s parking restrictions and setback requirements. The variance seeks to reduce the setback to just five feet from property lines and eliminate parking requirements altogether. This is a departure from the typical P-1 Public Facilities zoning, which requires a 20-foot setback and approximately 32 parking spaces.
Fitzsimmons raised concerns about the proximity of the library building to the alleyway, asking if the proposed setback would affect the alley. He asked, “How close would the building be to that alleyway?”
Ericksen answered that the current plans show “a strong seven feet” but with recent construction changes it may be more. “Guessing right now, I’d say it’s going to be a strong ten feet,” he said.
Ericksen assured the Commission that there would be adequate room for snow removal.
Fitzsimmons also expressed concern about maintaining the alleyway and questioned where snow would be placed in the alley, given the nearby residences. He asked if there could be off-street parking options for employees. Ericksen responded that the idea had been discussed, and while “it’s definitely a possibility,” it would depend on the placement of utilities.
Jankoski inquired whether property owners in the area had expressed any concerns about the rezoning or variance requests. “The questions I have is, have we heard from any of the property owners in this area?” he asked. “I’m assuming all of this went to each property owner. Have you heard from any of them in terms of concerns, issues?”
City Administrator Nicole Pilgrim confirmed that notices had been sent to the property owners, but she had not received any feedback or concerns from them.
As the discussion continued, Denzine brought up the potential issue of diagonal parking, noting that the street was not particularly wide. Jankoski responded that the long-term solution may involve purchasing additional property to the west of the library to address parking concerns in the future. “That might come in the future.”
Jankoski further commented that parking could become a problem if the library’s planned community room is used frequently. “There’s going to be parking issues if that community room gets used, no doubt about it,” he commented. “But you do have the Lutheran church parking lot kitty corner from there which isn’t a super long distance they have to walk.” He noted that since the library’s location is near Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, it could become a challenge if both the library and the church have events at the same time. Ericksen agreed, but felt the issue would not arise often, adding, “It’s a good problem to have. Too many people in town.”
After discussing the rezoning and variance requests, the Plan Commission approved the variance request regarding parking and setbacks for the D.R. Moon Memorial Library.