West Allis council hears neighborhood safety concerns over Novak Manor haunted‑house permit

The West Allis Common Council held a public hearing on a special‑event permit and zoning exception request for Novak Manor, a seasonal haunted‑house attraction at 9730 West Montana Avenue. City planning staff described the site plan and operating plan; neighbors told the council the event disrupts the block and raised traffic, sight‑line and after‑hours trespass concerns.

Steve Sher, director of city planning and zoning, told the council the application proposes an attraction that operates Fridays and Saturdays during the Halloween season. The event will use a tent, part of the garage and the yard; people stage on the adjacent city sidewalks and enter the property at the southeast corner of the site. Sher said the applicant will apply for a temporary occupancy permit, provided an operational plan and a routing map, and plans for four on‑site refuse containers. He said the applicant expects the event to run Fridays and Saturdays beginning Sept. 26 and concluding Oct. 31, with hours of 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and that food, transient merchants and alcohol are not proposed.

Neighbor Mary Bridal said the attraction is already affecting quality of life and public safety. Bridal said props begin appearing in August, that visitors have walked through the yard outside of active hours and that vehicles and late‑night activity have disturbed residents. She described a sign placed on the northeast corner of the Novak property that she said obstructed eastbound sight lines at the stop sign and asked that any sign be moved to the event entrance. Bridal asked that the city place a snow fence or no‑trespass signage during non‑active hours, restrict parking along part of Montana Avenue during the event season to preserve curb space for scheduled brush collection, and increase police patrols on event nights. She also asked for assurance that neighbors would not be held liable for injuries to visitors to the city‑sanctioned event.

Peggy Hertel, who lives three houses away, suggested temporary traffic controls — including a temporary stop sign and one‑sided parking for event nights — to reduce the risk of pedestrians darting into traffic.

Adam Novak, owner of Novak Manor, said he is a lifelong resident and thanked the council for last year’s permit. Novak said the 2024 permit allowed the attraction to host more than 8,000 visitors and to raise about $13,000 in donations, including $8,000 to Bikers Advocating Child Safety, $2,200 to the junior bulldogs and $2,000 to a local family, and he urged the council to approve the permit again.

Sher told the council he had received one positive comment this year and no formal objections to date; the planning department said notice had been published in the official paper and neighborhood property owners within 200 feet were notified. The public hearing was closed after public comment; no final council action on the permit was recorded in the meeting transcript.

If the council approves the special‑event permit, the applicant would also be required to obtain the temporary occupancy permit and comply with any operational conditions the council or city staff impose.