Alderman Dilgy presses applicant on parking, safety and insurance as Muskego Common Council approves Bass Bay Beer Garden license

The Muskego City Common Council on April 28, 2026 unanimously approved a Class B liquor license for Moo Inc., doing business as Bass Bay Beer Garden, at a property on Otmar Drive after a lengthy exchange about parking, construction safety and insurance.

Alderman Dilgy opened the exchange saying she had "gotten emails and phone calls" from neighbors and that she was surprised residents had not been better notified. She asked the applicant to explain operations and neighborhood impacts. The applicant, identified in the record as Ryan, said the venue plans to operate Wednesday through Sunday (mostly evenings), host largely acoustic solo and duo performers, place an outside bar in the previously used location and invite food trucks on some days. "We're really not trying to do anything to to make anybody upset here," Ryan said, describing outreach to nearby residents and a plan to request one-side street parking markings.

Council members and staff said the plan commission has required the applicant to work with city staff (identified in the record as Adam and Aaron) on reasonable accommodations, including off-site parking and shuttle arrangements while on-site spaces are reduced because of ongoing building reconstruction. The applicant said demolition had begun and that an 8-foot construction fence would surround work areas.

On liability and permitting, city staff member Jeff told council, "the statutes are clear that just by giving a license that doesn't make us...we can't be held liable," and said food trucks would be required to follow existing vendor permit rules and that the city would review insurance coverage through the planning process.

Council members pressed for clarity on hours and noise; the applicant said live music would stop earlier than the maximum allowed by code (aiming for about 10 p.m. on peak nights) with last call times on busier nights. Alderman Dilgy said she wanted assurances that the applicant would meet insurance and safety expectations and not create long-term exceptions to city rules for other businesses. Staff and the applicant said the approval under consideration was a temporary accommodation for the summer during reconstruction, not a permanent change.

After the exchange and staff clarifications, the council approved the license by voice vote. The vote on the license was recorded as unanimous in the meeting record.

The council discussion left in place planning-commission conditions for coordination with city staff on parking and safety measures; staff indicated insurance and vendor permits would be reviewed before operations began under the license.