County Board denies Washington subdivision rezoning

Jun. 16—EAU CLAIRE — The Eau Claire County Board denied a rezoning proposal for a large subdivision in the town of Washington. The proposal would have rezoned 234 acres from an agricultural district to a rural home district.

During its meeting Tuesday night, the County Board voted 23-5 against the proposal, with many supervisors expressing concerns with the overall project. Because the majority of property owners adjacent to the proposed development submitted protest petitions against the proposal, the rezoning application needed approval from at least 75% of present supervisors to pass.

The proposed development, called Orchard Hills subdivision, would have been constructed at the northwest corner of Mischler Road and Deerfield Road just south of Eau Claire.

During the public comment portion of Tuesday's meeting, nine people spoke against the rezoning proposal and four people spoke in favor. Those who spoke against the proposal cited concerns with the density of the proposal, traffic safety, wastewater systems and environmental impacts.

Resident Thomas Hunt said the developers submitting very similar proposals shows their "myopic view of the end goal of making as much money as possible by shoehorning a densely populated development into an existing neighborhood with no regard for the surrounding neighbor's concerns."

A letter sent last week to supervisors by the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce strongly encouraged the County Board to approve the rezoning proposal. The letter mentioned workforce development and housing supply as significant challenges facing the community that the Orchard Hills subdivision could help address.

The letter also noted that developers will meet all regulations in order to progress with the project and that denying the rezoning request could "have a chilling effect on critically needed housing development in the county."

The county Planning and Development Committee last month voted 3-2 against recommending approval of the rezoning request. The week prior to the committee's vote, the Washington Town Board recommended approval of the rezoning request.

Craig Wurzer, owner of C&E Wurzer Builders, applied for the rezoning request. Wurzer is part of CDPG Developers, the new entity that would have carried out the plans to create the subdivision if it had been approved. The four members are Wurzer; Paul Holzinger, Holzinger Holmes; Damian Prince, Chippewa Valley Excavating; and Grady Wold, Trend Stone Surfaces.

Marijuana decriminalization

The County Board approved a resolution requesting that Wisconsin decriminalize or legalize recreational marijuana for people age 21 and over.

The resolution was approved last month by the Judiciary and Law Enforcement Committee. Supervisor Zoe Roberts authored the resolution and mentioned the unequal impact marijuana offenses have had on people of color in Wisconsin.

In a fact sheet, Roberts added that the resolution would raise tax revenue and synchronize Wisconsin with its neighboring states that have similar laws.

"The decriminalization or making marijuana legal for recreational use will provide benefits to the state of Wisconsin in that it provides a cash crop for farmers, it will raise tax revenue, and it will bring Wisconsin in alignment with our neighboring states of Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan which have legalized marijuana in one form or another for either recreational or medicinal use," Roberts wrote.

Other business

The board approved a proclamation declaring June 19, 2021, as "Juneteenth Day" in Eau Claire County. Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the U.S. were informed of their freedom, which was more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

The next County Board meeting is scheduled for July 20.