Council approves limited comprehensive-plan amendment and rezoning for two Grove Street parcels after neighborhood comment

The Fond du Lac City Council unanimously approved a targeted amendment to the city's 2040 comprehensive plan and a companion rezoning ordinance Wednesday to change land use and zoning for two parcels at 335 and 341 Grove Street to allow an expansion of employee parking for a nearby food-processing operation.

The move, introduced by Community Development Director Miss Benson, follows multiple public comments from nearby residents who opposed further industrial expansion into the neighborhood and from neighbors who said parking relief would help reduce on-street congestion. The plan commission recommended approving only the two properties' land-use change rather than a broader conversion of the neighborhood.

The council voted to adopt Comprehensive Plan Amendment No. 6, converting the land use for the two parcels from residential to industrial, then voted to rezone the same parcels from R1 single-family residential to M1 manufacturing so the zoning would align with the amended comprehensive plan. Both motions passed unanimously: the comprehensive plan amendment (motion by Mister Godfrey, second by Mister Schisler) and the rezoning (motion by Mister Godfrey, second by Mister Heisler).

Residents described a mix of longstanding quality-of-life complaints tied to the adjacent facility, including intermittent chemical-related evacuations, noise measured by a resident at roughly 55 decibels from two streets away, recurring sour/ammonia odors, occasional ash-like deposits, frequent semi-truck activity that blocks roadways, and employees parking along residential streets. Zach Rogers said he opposed expansion because it did not address odors, noise or evacuation risks and noted manufacturing zoning would allow a wider range of industrial uses than a parking lot. Marie Kelly described repeated evacuations, blocked driveways, and odors that limit outdoor time for children. Kenneth Kane, whose property is contiguous to the site, said the primary neighborhood problem is employee parking and that rezoning to allow a parking lot would address that specific issue.

Miss Benson told the council that while M1 zoning permits a variety of industrial uses in general, the small size of the two residential parcels and the city's bulk/setback rules would limit what could feasibly be constructed there and that the rezoning was intended to align zoning with the narrowly scoped land-use amendment approved by the plan commission.

Mister Schisler asked about a wastewater treatment facility mentioned in the applicant's materials; Miss Benson said rezoning the two parcels would not by itself permit a wastewater treatment plant at those locations and that such a use would have to undergo separate review. Mister Zimmerman and others said they supported the parking solution while noting the need to follow up with engineering and the company on truck routing and traffic management.

The council's approvals do not change existing operational controls or require the company to make other changes; they change the underlying land-use and zoning for those two parcels only. Residents asked the city and the applicant to continue discussions on truck routing, communication during incidents, and mitigation of odor and noise.

The votes recorded at the meeting show unanimous approval for both the comprehensive-plan amendment and the rezoning: Comprehensive Plan Amendment No. 6 (motion by Mister Godfrey; second by Mister Schisler; outcome: approved unanimously) and Ordinance No. 3819 (rezoning 335 and 341 Grove Street to M1; motion by Mister Godfrey; second by Mister Heisler; outcome: approved unanimously).