Plan Commission approves gate at Divine Redeemer Lutheran Church to control site access

The Delafield Plan Commission on Aug. 27 approved a request to install a security gate at Divine Redeemer Lutheran Church, 31385 Hill Street. City planner Amy Barrows summarized the proposal, saying the church wants “to install a gate at the middle access point” because the site’s middle lane is “an exit only” after Wisconsin Department of Transportation changes to the entrances and exits. Barrows said the gate is a black steel double-swing door located about 18 feet from the right-of-way and that the church “did get a written approval from the state” because of that proximity. The applicant, Matthew Maring of Anderson Ashton, and Mike Goldenberg, executive director of Divine Redeemer Lutheran Church, were present for the item. A motion to approve the gate passed on a voice vote after a second; the minutes record the board saying “Aye” and “Motion carries.” The commission did not attach conditions beyond the state’s written approval noted by staff in the hearing. Barrows also introduced the project by describing the site’s location (north of Highway 16, south of Highway 83) and said the proposal responds to children playing on site and the church’s desire to prevent unauthorized entry during the day. The commission’s approval allows the church to proceed with the gate installation. The record does not show additional engineering or building permit requirements discussed on the record; permits or inspections required by city building or engineering staff would proceed under normal city processes.