Janesville planning panel approves tavern expansion at 1804 Center Avenue

The Janesville Plan Commission voted 6-0 Monday to approve a conditional use permit amendment to allow a building expansion and outdoor pavilion at Buc ee’s Lucky Bell, a tavern at 1804 Center Avenue.

Trey Meyer, planner for the city, told the commission the property is about 1.46 acres at the intersection of Center Avenue and West Condie Street and is split between B-2 (community shopping) and B-3 (general commercial) zoning. Meyer said the applicant proposes roughly a 1,850-square-foot addition, half of which would be enclosed storage and the other half an outdoor pavilion where patrons could eat and drink. “The site complies with all applicable zoning ordinance requirements,” Meyer said, and staff recommended approval subject to the conditions listed in the Planning Division memorandum dated June 16, 2025.

Meyer told commissioners the planning commission previously approved a conditional use permit on Sept. 3, 2024 allowing outdoor recreational activities within a fenced area at the site and that staff had conducted an administrative review of the premises in response to this amendment request; staff reported no complaints to date. Meyer also said the city’s Alcohol License Advisory Committee will review a liquor-license amendment for the property at its July 1 meeting and that approval of the liquor-license amendment will be required for the project to proceed.

An applicant who identified himself at the meeting said a contractor had dug a foundation hole before the conditional use amendment was approved. “There was a little confusion there. I thought, when the site plan was approved that we started clearing. We’re not building anything on it yet, but had a contractor that was ready to dig the hole,” the applicant said, noting he began the process in January and that earlier, clearer guidance from staff might have sped the work. Meyer acknowledged the timeline and apologized for any lack of clarity in the procedural steps.

Commissioner Williams moved to find the proposed development meets the standards for conditional use approval under the Janesville zoning ordinance and to approve the amendment subject to the Planning Division conditions; Commissioner Dangara seconded. Commissioners Squire, Bowerman, Madair, Dangara, Bosco and Williams voted yes. Commissioner Mark Klein was absent. The motion carried 6-0.

The planning staff memo conditions include requiring plan commission review and approval before any future exterior lighting or audio installations associated with the outdoor area, and the requirement that any liquor-license amendment be approved by the Alcohol License Advisory Committee and by city process before construction tied to expanded liquor service could proceed.

The commission record shows the addition’s diagram lists the pavilion as 32 by 64 feet (2,048 square feet). Meyer acknowledged a discrepancy between the diagram and an earlier verbal square-foot figure and said the 900-square-foot figure he initially cited referred only to the proposed enclosed storage portion of the addition. The Planning Division memorandum of June 16, 2025 contains the full list of conditions and technical details for the approved amendment.

The commission closed the item after the vote and wished the applicant luck with the project.