Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Industrial Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves large cold-storage and truck-depot proposal in eastern Portage County with access and environmental conditions
Summary
The Portage County Board of Adjustment approved a petition for a roughly 324,000‑square‑foot cold‑storage and truck‑depot facility on State Highway 54 East, subject to sanitary and stormwater permits, an 8–10 foot wooded buffer, a 99‑foot height limit, a certified survey map, and implementation of DOT access recommendations.
The Portage County Board of Adjustment on March 25 approved a petition for a large cold‑storage and truck‑depot facility proposed on State Highway 54 East in Wisconsin Rapids, after county staff and the project’s agents described site plans, stormwater and sanitary reviews, and coordination with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
County planning staff told the board the project proposes a roughly 324,000+ square‑foot cold storage building with loading docks, office space and potential rail spurs; land‑conservation and stormwater reviewers have circulated the site design and staff said many background permits are already in process. Agent Kevin Watkins described the facility as purpose‑built and said one side of the building will be highly automated.
On traffic and access, applicants said they have been working with the highway department and DOT on options to separate truck and auto flows. Watkins and other presenters discussed acceleration and deceleration lanes, reconfigured entrance/egress options, trailer drop yards and overflow parking; DOT representatives have funding for safety improvements and the applicant said it will refine sketches for DOT review.
During deliberations a board member moved to approve the petition with conditions read into the record: obtain Portage County sanitary permits and an approved construction site erosion control/stormwater plan from Portage County Land and Water Conservation; obtain any required Wisconsin DNR stormwater permit before construction; retain an 8–10 foot wooded buffer along the west property line; limit structure height to 99 feet; survey and combine prior tax parcels via certified survey map; and implement recommended Wisconsin DOT access improvements arising from the traffic analysis. The motion was seconded on the record.
The board’s motion also referenced the standard requirement that required county and state permits be obtained prior to construction. Board members emphasized that final access geometry and details will be subject to DOT review and that site‑level stormwater and sanitary permits remain prerequisites to any zoning/building permits.
Next steps for the project include finalizing DOT entrance plans, securing the county sanitary permit and DNR stormwater permit where applicable, and filing the certified survey to create the building lot as required by the board’s motion.
