Plan commission approves one-year home-occupation permit for woodworking business on Jill Avenue

The Eau Claire Plan Commission on July 14 approved a conditional use permit allowing a home-based woodworking business at 3327 Jill Avenue to operate for 12 months under conditions intended to limit neighborhood impacts.

City planner Ned Noel summarized the staff recommendation and the application, saying the proposed woodworking business would operate primarily in the garage, have no outdoor storage and rely on interior dust collectors and insulated doors to control noise and dust. The application identified proposed operating hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The permit applicant, Jacob Becker, said he has operated the business since January 2024 and that measured sound levels taken with a certified sound reader were low. “My loudest tool, the planer, is used two to four times a month for 15 to 30 minutes and measured about 60 decibels at 30 feet,” Becker said. He added that his sander — the tool he uses most often — measured about 49 decibels at 30 feet and did not register above 40 decibels inside the house at 22 feet.

Why it matters: commissioners said the request raises a tension between supporting small businesses and protecting residential quality of life. Commissioners and staff noted the city lacks objective, property-line noise measurements in the zoning code, leaving the panel to rely on evidence provided by the applicant and neighbor testimony.

During the public hearing neighbors offered mostly support. Tony Sitto, a neighbor on Jill Avenue, said he had not been bothered by activity at the address and urged the commission to support the permit. “I fully understand and support restrictions that make neighborhoods a better place to live peacefully,” Sitto said, adding that he supported the applicant’s request. Other neighbors, including Mike Maher and Paula Zurovski, said they had not noticed disruptive noise and had hired the applicant for work.

Commissioner Jared Brewster, one of the commissioners who spoke in favor, said the conversion of garage-based “hobby” activity into small business activity is how many local companies begin, and called the application “an opportunity” for small-business growth. Commissioner Jared Zweig raised the concern that the closest neighbor, who submitted an opposition letter and videos, was not present, and proposed an amendment that machinery be operated only with the garage door closed — a proposal the original motioners did not adopt.

After discussion the commission approved the permit with a friendly amendment limiting the permit to 12 months to give the applicant time to secure commercial space. Commissioner Lori Davis made the motion to approve; Commissioner Christian Lawson seconded. The roll call vote was Lawson: aye; Reid: aye; Zoid: aye; Helgeson (chair): aye; Brewster: aye; Davis: aye. The motion passed 6–0.

The permit includes conditions requiring the business remain primarily inside the garage, limit outdoor storage, and follow the city’s conditional-use standards. Staff told the commission the permit typically runs with the land but can be revoked if the business ceases for more than one year; the 12-month time limit was added by the commission as a condition.

Looking ahead: the applicant told the commission he hopes to move to a commercial space within a year, and commissioners said they expect staff to monitor complaints and enforce the permit conditions if issues arise.