RIB MOUNTAIN, Wis. (WSAU) — Rib Mountain’s Plan Commission has unanimously rejected a proposal to build another Kwik Trip convenience store and gas station on the northern part of Rib Mountain Drive. That decision was made Wednesday evening after hearing additional information from Kwik Trip, viewing a traffic study, and discussing the potential impact of a 24 hour-7 day per week operation that has residential properties on two sides.
The commissioners went through the evaluation steps one by one, and had input from planning staff about what was allowed according to the Village’s master plan and zoning. Plan Commission Chairman Kevin Mataczynski says they delayed the vote last month because they wanted all possible information to make the right decision. He says the process is designed to make sure every possible issue is considered and evaluated against the village’s master plan. “We want to make sure that everybody’s treated fairly. The applicant has spent a lot of effort and a lot of time proposing a project that you know, in the right location, could potentially work. We want to make sure that all of those items are considered, along with the safety, the traffic flow, impact on the neighbors, and give everybody due process to make a good decision.”
Ryan Burnett is also on the Plan Commission. He agreed this is the wrong use for this piece of property, but for a different reason. “I think we’ve got a pretty solid presence of gas stations in the Rib Mountain area based on our per capita, and I ultimately in the end came down to the whole intensity of the use of that land, considering all of the adjacent residential areas around there.”
Patty Peters is a Rib Mountain resident that lives adjacent to the proposed development. She has spent a lot of time rallying her neighbors to stop this proposed development. “Yes, it’s been taking a very long time, a lot of sleepless nights on my part thinking, Okay, what’s my next project? What can I do? How can I be effective? In what way can I make the vote come our way? Let people see what the plight would be in our neighborhood. I don’t think anybody would want a Kwik Trip 40 feet from their bedroom.”
The Rib Mountain Plan Commission voted 6-0 to reject the Kwik Trip proposal at the corner of Robin Lane and Rib Mountain Drive, based mostly on safety issues and neighborhood concerns about 24-hour noise and lights so close to houses. Kwik Trip did revise their plans to mitigate several concerns, but the changes did not satisfy the residents or the Plan Commission.
The Rib Mountain Town Board will make the final decision at Tuesday’s meeting. It is highly unlikely the board would go against a unanimous Plan Commission recommendation, but it is possible.
(Click on their names to listen to our interviews with Commissioners Kevin Mataczynski and Ryan Burnett, and resident Patty Peters.)