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Planning commission approves temporary permit for night shelter at First United Methodist Church
Summary
The Wausau Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit on May 1 allowing the First United Methodist Church at 903 Third Street to use its basement as an emergency night shelter for the Wausau Police Department, subject to a temporary time limit and a staff review schedule.
WAUSAU, Wis. — The Wausau Planning Commission on May 1 approved a conditional use permit allowing the First United Methodist Church at 903 Third Street to use its basement as an emergency night shelter for the Wausau Police Department, with the permit limited through Dec. 31, 2025 and a staff review scheduled ahead of that date.
The permit was approved after a motion from Commissioner Larson and a second from Alder Watson. Bill, a city planning staff member, recommended approval with a time limit and asked the commission to require a progress update by Nov. 1, 2025. “We just recommend the time limit,” Bill said. “We also want to know by November 1 of 2025 whether they have a different location or if they're going to try to move forward with this because then we'll review what's happened in the neighborhood and they'll have to address a lot of the building concerns.”
The nut graf: The decision allows the church to provide emergency overnight shelter in the short term while preserving a formal review point and constraints because staff flagged long-term building issues and potentially significant costs for continued use.
Commissioners did not record a roll-call vote in the transcript; the chair called for those in favor and the motion was approved by voice vote with no opposition recorded on the audio. The action permits the church basement to be used as a night shelter specifically to support Wausau Police Department outreach or operations that place people there overnight.
During discussion, staff described the approval as temporary and tied to the applicant's request for a limited term. Staff emphasized building-condition concerns and the potential costs of making the facility suitable for long-term sheltering. The commission placed two explicit conditions noted in the staff report: (1) the conditional use is temporary and scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2025 unless otherwise extended or amended; and (2) staff will review progress and neighborhood impacts, with the applicant expected to report on alternative sites or other changes by Nov. 1, 2025.
The transcript records the motion and second and reflects the staff recommendation; it does not include a documented roll-call tally by name. The commission's action is therefore recorded in the minutes as an approval of the conditional use permit subject to the time limit and review schedule.
The meeting adjourned shortly after the vote. After adjournment, Mayor introduced Carrie Edmondson as the city's new assistant city planner; Edmondson briefly addressed the commission and said she looks forward to working with the commission.
