Village board approves QuikTrip rezoning, requires MOU for traffic improvements at Maple and Mequon roads

The Germantown Village Board on Jan. 6 approved a rezoning and two conditional-use permits to allow QuikTrip to relocate its convenience store and fueling station to 18741 Mequon Road, contingent on an agreement that will assign a share of future road-work costs to the company.

The action follows a December continuation and subsequent staff negotiations that produced a proposed memorandum of understanding requiring the applicant to “enter into an agreement with the village in the form of a MOU that stipulates future financial contributions and proportionate costs” for road alterations at the Maple Road entrance and the Maple–Mequon intersection. Associate planner Yanke told the board the site is 4.37 acres and the proposed building would be about 12,000 square feet with a two-bay car wash and gasoline and diesel fueling canopies.

Why it matters: the Maple–Mequon intersection already was identified in a 2020 safety study as a candidate for signalization; board members and the village engineer said QuikTrip’s relocation could increase traffic volumes and crashes and therefore increase the need — and potential local cost — for improvements.

During discussion, the traffic consultant for the development, John of Traffic Analysis and Design, said signal warrants currently are met at the intersection under existing conditions. Kevin Driscoll, the village engineer, said an earlier memo estimated about $500,000 in probable construction cost for signalization and that an initial staff estimate attributed about 5% of that cost to QuikTrip. Driscoll and the consultant described a three-step approach to apportioning cost: baseline counts before construction, counts at the QuickTrip driveway after opening, and origin–destination counts that identify the portion of intersection traffic attributable to QuickTrip; the delta would determine the company’s share.

Trustee Dusty Warren, who moved the motion to approve the rezoning and the CUPs with the MOU condition, said follow-up traffic counts and an MOU that spells out the formula would address the board’s concerns. Several trustees urged updating the village’s 2020 traffic safety analysis and noted that federal safety grants can cover up to 90% of eligible improvements if intersections qualify.

Outcome and next steps: the motion to approve the rezoning and conditional-use permits, with the MOU condition, passed on a roll call vote. Staff said the MOU will be reviewed by the village engineer and village attorney and must be finalized before issuance of building permits. The village also plans to update its traffic-safety analysis to reprioritize intersections and support grant applications.

Board directions and unresolved points: trustees asked staff to (1) include a clear formula in the MOU tying QuickTrip’s contribution to measured delta traffic counts, (2) pursue a refreshed safety analysis of local intersections (staff estimated that update would take 6–8 weeks), and (3) program any prioritized intersection work into the Public Works/Highway Committee and future budgets. The board did not set a fixed percentage or dollar amount in the MOU at the meeting; the $500,000 estimate and the 5% figure were discussed as interim planning numbers that could change based on the post‑opening counts and allocation formula.

Members of the public at the meeting raised questions about traffic, crash history at the intersection, and whether improvements already planned before QuikTrip’s application would shift cost responsibility to the village.

The board’s approval authorizes staff to finalize the required legal agreements and proceed toward building-permit review once the MOU language is approved by the village engineer and attorney.