Plan Commission recommends denial of proposed "bakery stand" zoning change after debate on retail in parks

The Village of Greendale Plan Commission on July 8 considered a zoning-text amendment proposed by applicant Brittany Gehring (owner of Salty Dog Farm Stand) to add a defined term "bakery stand" to the zoning code and to permit no more than one such stand per park.

Staff (Mike) told commissioners the request is a change to the zoning code — not a decision on a particular business — and recommended denial. "This is not a decision on any particular business or any particular business plan… staff recommendation would be to deny the proposed Zoning Text Amendment," he said, citing the Pea Park District’s intent to support park-focused amenities rather than standalone retail.

Applicant representation included attorney Michael Van Cloonen, who emphasized that the proposal was narrowly tailored: he said the draft limits one bakery stand per park, prohibits alcohol and potentially hazardous on-site food preparation, forbids loudspeakers and sets hours consistent with existing park-district uses. He said the ordinance could be further narrowed — for example, to permit stands only in county-owned parks — to address commissioners’ concerns.

Applicant Brittany Gehring described her products as largely packaged for home consumption while noting some items are ready-to-eat and attractive to park users. "Most of my products are packaged for home consumption… but there are a good majority that you can eat on the go and the number of bicyclists and park users that currently shop for my stand every week," she said.

Commissioners questioned whether adding a permitted retail use would create a precedent allowing many types of retail in parks, whether the stand should instead be a conditional use, and whether aesthetics, parking, and scale should be tightly regulated. One suggested narrowing the ordinance to county parks only; others pressed for conditional-use oversight to preserve park character.

The commission first voted on a motion to table revised language; that motion failed (3–2–1 recorded in the meeting). Later, a motion to recommend denial of the zoning-text amendment passed, recorded as a 5–0–2 recommendation to the Village Board. The commission noted a public hearing will be scheduled and that the commission’s report will be part of the hearing record.

The staff packet and draft ordinance referenced sections 17.03 and 17.28 of the Greendale Zoning Code; any revised proposal will be returned to the commission for further review if the applicant chooses to pursue narrower language.