Plan commission backs rezoning and approves conditional-use permit for Kwik Trip redevelopment at 254 E. Memorial Drive

The Janesville Plan Commission on April 21 unanimously recommended that City Council approve rezoning roughly 1 acre around 254 East Memorial Drive from M-3 (Central Light Industrial) to B-2 (Community Shopping) to accommodate the planned redevelopment of the existing Kwik Trip convenience store. The commission also separately approved a conditional-use permit to establish a convenience store and gasoline facility on the same property, subject to conditions contained in the Planning Division memorandum and several amendments agreed during deliberations.

Trey Meyer, planner, presented staff’s recommendation, describing the proposed redevelopment as a roughly 1.6-acre project (rezoning area approximately 1.0 acre) that would demolish existing buildings and construct a new ~7,200-square-foot convenience store with a canopy and 16 fueling positions. Meyer said staff found the rezoning “appropriate and consistent with the intent of the comprehensive plan” and noted the proposal includes a stormwater management facility, substantial green space and landscape to exceed ordinance requirements.

Traffic and access drew the most public comment. City consultant John B. Ebertsman and Kwik Trip’s Troy Malesova addressed vehicular access, delivery movements and the study of intersection operations. The site plan shows driveways on Harding Street and Railroad Street, with elimination of the existing Memorial Drive driveway to accommodate a planned future three-lane reconstruction of East Memorial Drive. John Ebertsman said truck turning movements and driveway stacking were evaluated; he added the north Railroad driveway is recommended to be pushed south to provide about 50 feet of stacking so queued vehicles won’t block Memorial.

Nearby property owners raised concerns about trash pickup, lighting, noise, dumpster location, and the visual impact of a retaining wall plus a proposed 6-foot fence on top of the wall along the southern property line. Malesova said Kwik Trip can control vendor pickup times and that trash pickup could be scheduled outside overnight hours — “we do have the ability to control the schedule … so that they wouldn't be there in the overnight hours,” he said — and proposed store hours of 5 a.m. to midnight.

Staff recommended replacing an opaque fence on top of the retaining wall with a decorative (wrought-iron-style) fence plus evergreen plantings on the north side of the fence to achieve screening without creating an 11-foot-tall opaque wall. The commission included a condition that the modular block retaining wall, perimeter fence and landscaping along the south property line be constructed in a manner mutually agreeable to the property owner, the developer and staff.

Commissioners debated parking and traffic-management measures. After discussion the commission added a condition recommending that the city engineering division evaluate prohibiting on-street parking on both sides of Railroad Street for the extent adjacent to the Kwik Trip property (approximately 290 feet from East Memorial to the rear of the Kwik Trip parcel). The commission explicitly declined to impose hours-of-operation limits as a condition of its approval. Commissioner Marklein moved to forward the rezoning to City Council with a favorable recommendation; Commissioner Williams seconded. The rezoning motion passed unanimously and is scheduled for City Council action on May 12, 2025. The conditional-use permit passed in a separate motion (moved by Commissioner Marklein, seconded by Commissioner Bowerman) with a 5-0 voice vote; the motion incorporated the staff conditions with the modification described above regarding the south property line treatment and the parking recommendation.

What this means: The Plan Commission approved both requests necessary for the Kwik Trip redevelopment at the commission level. Rezoning must still be approved by City Council, after which the applicant can proceed to final permitting and site work subject to the conditions approved by the commission.