Plan commission approves tiki-style outdoor entertainment structure at 1821 Main Street with lighting follow-up

The Village of Cross Plains Plan Commission on March 3 approved a combined general development plan (GDP) and specific implementation plan (SIP) to convert a former volleyball court at 1821 Main Street into a permanent outdoor entertainment structure described by the applicant as a tiki-style bar with limited hours.

The applicant said the plan will provide seating for about 20 patrons, four televisions and sidewalk access from the interior and possibly the parking lot, and that there will be no additional amplified external sound. "There'll be string lights all so, like, where the sidewalk will be, there'll be string lighting," the applicant said during the meeting.

Why it matters: the project requests flexibility from the village's standard zoning rules for an "outdoor commercial entertainment" land use, including reduced setbacks. Staff said the parcel is zoned Main Street mixed use with a longstanding plan development overlay and recommended approval after noting additional landscaping and small technical exceptions tied to existing site conditions.

During public comment a nearby resident raised concerns about two existing exterior fixtures: a tall utility/pole-mounted light and a wall-pack on the building's north side. The resident said the pole-mounted fixture was recently replaced with an LED and appears taller than the code's maximum light height, and that the wall-pack is not a fully shielded fixture and appears to be on continuously rather than operating on a motion sensor. "I just came up after reviewing it and, just noticed some issues with some of the lighting that's going on at the place," the resident said.

Planner Tonya (village staff) explained that because the proposal does not expand the parking area, the parking-lot lighting requirements were not triggered by the application and that the staff review focused on the plan development flexibilities requested for reduced setbacks. Tonya noted the application included additional arborvitae screening and said combining the GDP and SIP for a small project is an allowed, streamlined process the village sometimes uses. "The recommendation is for approval," Tonya said.

Commission discussion centered on the existing MG&E pole and the wall-pack light. The applicant said the wall-pack formerly had a motion sensor and that the property would either repair or replace the sensor or use a timer to limit overnight illumination; he offered to install a new motion sensor or set the fixture to turn off at 2 a.m. "We could certainly either make sure the motion thing is working or put it on a timer at 2AM," the applicant said.

The commission moved to approve the GDP and SIP as presented. The motion passed by voice vote; one member announced an abstention. The commission noted on the record that removal of the MG&E pole would be desirable if the utility would allow it, and asked staff to add a follow-up item about confirming the wall-pack's sensor or timer function before final sign-off.

The approval allows the tiki-style structure to proceed subject to the application as approved and the follow-up lighting checks; the plan will next advance to the village board as required for plan development approvals.