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Council advances CenterPoint Marine rezoning and CUP despite resident safety and maintenance concerns
Summary
Oconomowoc council approved the rezoning and conditional-use permits for CenterPoint Marine, allowing boat sales, service and outdoor storage on three parcels; residents raised concerns about traffic, sidewalk gaps and long-term property maintenance, while the applicant pledged scheduled deliveries, screening, and on-site storage to limit street staging.
The Oconomowoc Common Council on June 16 approved a package of rezoning and conditional-use permit applications for CenterPoint Marine, clearing the way for boat sales, service and outdoor storage at three parcels near West Second Street and South Park Street.
City planner Jason summarized the applications, saying the project would amend the city’s Comprehensive Plan from industrial to commercial for three parcels and add conditional-use permits for sales, service and outdoor storage. He said the plan commission recommended approval of the nine related applications and attached standard CUP conditions.
Neighbor remarks at a public hearing focused on safety, traffic and long-term upkeep. “I am very concerned about the exterior appearance once they’re in there,” said Karen Miller, who lives a block from the site and asked how the city will ensure the gravel lot is fenced, landscaped and maintained rather than reverting to weeds.
Other residents asked for traffic and pedestrian protections along South Park Street, which lacks sidewalks. “You’re going to have boats coming up and down that road, and then you have families and no sidewalks,” Melissa Schuster said, asking whether a traffic study had been completed and what emergency or delivery plans the company would use to avoid neighborhood impacts.
Applicant Joe Meade, representing CenterPoint, told the council the business schedules pickups and deliveries to avoid prolonged street staging and will use on-site service bays and storage to minimize time that trailers are parked on adjacent streets. Meade said most customer interactions are scheduled and that the property’s layout allows trucks to loop into service bays and pull boats inside for storage and service.
Council and staff added CUP conditions that prohibit overnight boat parking on nearby residential streets and require landscape screening and fencing between the service/storage areas and adjacent homes. During technical discussion, the applicant agreed to a documented delivery plan the city can review and enforce.
The council approved the planning items related to CenterPoint as part of a package of planning approvals, with a roll-call vote advancing the rezonings and CUPs. Supporters who own nearby businesses also spoke in favor: a letter read into the record from Kevin Kurtz, a local managing member, described the proposed use as an appropriate fit and urged approval.
What happens next: the approvals allow the applicant to proceed with the commercial conversion and CUP implementation under the conditions approved by the council. Council members said they expect staff to confirm the applicant’s delivery procedures and landscaping before occupancy or operation increases.
