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Board approves limited contractor‑yard and storage for Lakefront Brewery, sets screening and time limits
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Summary
The board approved a three‑year conditional variance for use and heavy‑vehicle storage at 1890 North Commerce Street to accommodate brewery equipment and temporary bridge‑construction staging, requiring arborvitae screening and a schedule to remove construction staging by a target date.
The Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals on Jan. 15 approved a three‑year conditional use and dimensional variance for storage and contractor‑yard activities at 1890 North Commerce Street, the lot adjacent to Lakefront Brewery. The decision balances neighborhood concerns about visual blight and traffic with the brewery’s storage needs and a nearby bridge‑rehabilitation project that briefly staged heavy construction equipment on the site.
Russ Klitsch of Lakefront Brewery described uses that will include a limited number of trailers, one brewing tank, a food truck, and occasional brewery‑related equipment. DCD and DNS negotiated a plan that separates temporary construction staging from longer‑term brewery storage: construction vehicles associated with the bridge project were accepted as a short‑term, time‑limited use, while brewery equipment storage will be confined to a smaller, fenced‑and‑screened area near the brewery building. DCD recommended arborvitae screening, additional shade trees along the riverwalk, and phased landscaping installation timed for when construction activity moves off the site.
Neighbors — including condominium residents Jean Lambert, Christian Youngluth and Caitlin Corner — testified about prior visual conditions, graffiti and concerns about speed on North Commerce Street. They said the site is currently an eyesore but welcomed clarified, enforceable plans, screening and a timeline to remove heavy construction staging. The brewery representative confirmed the largest crane and bridge equipment are temporary and that the brewery’s own stored items will be concentrated within the fenced contractor’s yard and further screened from residential views.
The board recorded conditions requiring: (1) short‑term authorization that tails off when bridge construction ends (the board and DCD discussed a June‑30 target), (2) a landscaping and screening plan with minimum planting heights and species standards, and (3) a three‑year overall approval to allow the board to revisit the use. DNS and DCD will monitor compliance and can enforce timing through standard administrative procedures.
Outcome: the board approved the variances for three years with explicit conditions about screening, phased landscaping and the temporary nature of the construction‑equipment staging.
