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Waukesha council approves Bridge Church expansion and rezoning for Salesville Road site
Summary
The council approved a land-use plan amendment and rezoning to allow Bridge Church to add to its Waukesha campus and approved rezoning at 3011 Salesville Road to allow commercial tenancy, after public hearings and neighborhood comments about traffic and lighting.
The Waukesha Common Council on Sept. 2 approved two separate land-use plan amendments and rezonings following public hearings: one to permit an addition to Bridge Church at South Grand Avenue and another to change a former civic/institutional property on Salesville Road to commercial use.
Staff explained the Bridge Church request would amend the land-use map from commercial to civic/institutional and rezone two parcels from B-4 (professional office) to I-1 (institutional) so the church can build an addition to increase sanctuary seating and add office and fellowship space. Bridge Church’s representative, Kurt Weebelaus, said the project is an addition rather than a separate structure, that a lighting plan was submitted, and that two existing driveway accesses to Grand Avenue would be closed to shift more access to Sunset Avenue; construction is expected to begin in spring 2026 pending permits.
Neighbors raised two main concerns: increased traffic due to nearby commercial development and bright parking-lot lighting that can cast into adjacent homes. A resident said there was no traffic study and asked how traffic increases would be mitigated; staff said no traffic study was required for these land-use actions and that Grand Avenue is an arterial built to carry heavier traffic. Staff and the church representative committed to follow up about lighting plans and to work with residents on details.
Council approved the Bridge Church land-use plan amendment and rezoning: the motion passed with 14 ayes, 0 no and 1 abstention (Alderman Matthews abstained due to membership in the church).
Separately, the council approved a land-use plan amendment and rezoning for 3011 Salesville Road to convert the property from civic/institutional to commercial and rezone it from I-1 to B-3 (general business). Momentum Early Learning is the purchaser and plans to occupy a portion of the converted property while leasing out remaining space to another tenant. Staff said one small parcel’s rezoning was delayed because of a legal-description/survey issue; that parcel will return to the council after corrected surveying.
Both measures will require any building-permit review and adherence to submitted site and lighting plans; staff said they will return with contract documents if grant funding or formal agreements are needed.
