Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Green Bay public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues in zoning
Electric vehicle fuel station at 1240 Radisson Street
Wattslots Properties LLC wants a conditional use permit to run an electric vehicle fueling station on Radisson Street. It would add EV charging infrastructure to the neighborhood.
Vacant property registration and fee ordinance
Ald. Prestley wants the city to charge escalating fees on buildings that sit empty, to push owners to redevelop them. The Council agreed 6-5 to have staff draft the ordinance — expect debate over who counts as vacant and what the fees fund.
University Avenue commercial rezone
Seven properties on University Avenue were rezoned from General Commercial to Highway Commercial, opening up more intensive commercial uses along the corridor.
Resurrection Lutheran Church accessory building at 1004 Shawano Avenue
The pantry serving families every two minutes wanted a garage-style building for freezer space and weather-protected distribution, but the board couldn't legally justify a 5-foot setback next to a home. The project can't proceed as designed; staff suggested working on alternatives.
Privacy fencing on through lots along Lakeside Place
Homes fronting both Lakeside Place and East Shore Drive can't legally build tall privacy fences facing Lakeside. The board granted one, treating Lakeside Place as functionally an alley — a precedent relevant to other bay-side through lots.
Residential use in Office-Residential district at 920 Crooks Street
Ann Larscheid received a conditional use permit letting her single-family home continue in the Office-Residential zone, with conditions if the use lapses.
920 Crooks Street single-family use in OR zone
A single-family home that predates the office-residential zoning needs a conditional use permit so its owner can sell. Commissioners noted this will keep happening along South Webster and discussed getting ahead of it citywide.
Irvington Street land-use change to residential
A stretch of Irvington Street properties was changed from future Regional Commercial to Mixed Residential in the city's comprehensive plan — shaping what can be built there.
Rezoning of 703, 707, and 713 Roy Avenue
Five Shawano Avenue homes were rezoned from Low Density Residential to Public Institutional.
Conditional use permits for homes in the S-RLI district
Five permits allow single-family homes within a special residential-light-industrial district on S. Chestnut Avenue and S. Broadway, with conditions.
Oneida Nation in-trust properties
An alderperson asked for a follow-up discussion about land the Oneida Nation has placed into federal trust since the city and tribe signed their 2021 Cooperative Governance Agreement. Trust status affects which governments can tax and regulate the parcels.
14th Avenue front-yard fence denial
A duplex owner wanted a six-foot solid front fence for privacy and outdoor living space, citing backyard flooding and foot traffic. The board called it a 'fortress' and said vegetation or a shorter open fence could achieve the goal within code.
Residential variance standards and application form
Board members flagged a 'bait and switch' problem: the variance application form lists the three-step statutory test, but the board judges on five different factors. Staff noted the five factors already appear on page four of the seven-page form.
Corner lot setback standards for residential infill
The board granted a variance letting a new single-family home on a Baumgart Rd corner lot build closer to the side street than the code normally allows. It's a small tweak for one house, but shows how the board handles corner-lot rules that shape neighborhood street appearances.
Residential porch setback variance at 1122 Wilson Avenue
A narrow, long lot on Division Street couldn't fit a code-compliant side porch, and the replacement porch sits where an old one did. The board granted the variance, finding no detriment and no neighbor objections.
Humboldt Road accessory garage denial
An eight-acre parcel near the Brown County line can't have a garage bigger than the house, even for storing tractors and maintenance equipment. The board found the request 'nice but not necessary.'
Front-yard parking stall variance at 3377 Scottwood Drive
Gerrits wanted a 10-foot parking pad in front of his converted condo entrances to ease a two-family parking crunch. The board said the hardship was self-created and the pad would block emergency access to front doors.
Irvington Street homes made conforming uses
Fourteen parcels on Irvington Street move from commercial to residential land use, rezoned to Office-Residential rather than the low-density residential originally proposed, with 901 Irvington left out.
Rethinking the comprehensive plan's land use map
Staff floated replacing the parcel-by-parcel future land use map with a district-level matrix rating uses desirable, allowable or undesirable — which could mean fewer time-consuming comp plan amendments for applicants. It's early; no action yet.
Repetitive variance patterns and potential zoning code changes
The board approved a variance because the code's corner front setback rule — matching the neighbor's 86-foot setback on an 86-foot-deep lot — left no room for a house. Chair Halvorsen suggested the code itself might need review.
Telecommunications tower near Deckner Avenue
A wireless communications facility was approved in a Public Institutional district at 2222 Deckner Avenue/2300 block Newberry Avenue on a 9-3 vote after a resident spoke in the floor discussion.
Dunkin' Donuts drive-through buffer variance at 1538 W. Mason Street
A Dunkin' Donuts replacing a former coffee shop wants its drive-through back in the original layout, with improvements 12 feet from a residentially used parcel instead of the required 20-foot buffer. The board found the existing trees, distance, and elimination of cut-through traffic made it acceptable.
Metal shed permit rules under scrutiny
Commissioner Miller argued the $375 CUP requirement for any metal-sided shed over 120 square feet is arbitrary — vinyl is fine, metal isn't — and asked staff to look at an easier path for homeowners.
Oversized metal shed at 2265 Ironwood Drive
A homeowner got permission for a metal shed bigger than the 120-square-foot residential limit, with a promise to fix corrosion or remove the building.
Deferred land-use table amendments
Bigger changes to the city's land-use tables were pulled off this agenda and will be heard August 10.
Zoning code changes for animal boarding facilities, kennels and shelters
The city is updating its zoning rules for animal boarding facilities, kennels and shelters, and the commission approved the text amendments.
Sand and salt storage structure height at West Side Municipal Garage
The Street Department stopped using its outdoor salt and sand bunker because WisDOT requires materials to be covered and manually uncovering it in winter storms was unsafe. A new $115,245 tension fabric structure will fix that.
Taller industrial storage buildings near I-43
GLC Minerals can now build mineral storage structures up to 70 feet tall on its Bylsby Avenue site — a big lift from the standard 35-foot cap. Since the whole area is industrial and largely shielded from homes, the commission saw little downside.
Humboldt Road future land use change
The Basten family wants land at 3290 Humboldt Road shifted from low-density to mixed residential in the city's 2050 plan — opening the door to a broader range of housing types. Council has the final say.
Woodside Road rezoning and comprehensive plan amendment
The 600 block of Woodside Road was rezoned from low-density to varied-density residential and its comprehensive plan designation updated, opening the door to denser housing there.
Single-family home at 1033 Gray Street
A lot carved out of a mortgage company parcel in 2025 needs a conditional use permit before a single-family home can be built in the office-residential zone. The applicant is replacing parking lot asphalt with green space. It heads to City Council July 7.
Woodside Road residential rezone
Part of the 600 block of Woodside Road can now support more housing density — the comp plan and zoning both moved from R1 to R3 with conditions, advancing on first reading.
Front-yard parking at 1300 Edgewood Drive
A homeowner sought a variance to the rule that driveways must lead directly to a garage or legal parking stall. The board's unanimous denial keeps the standard setback requirement in place for this R1 Low Density Residential property.
1835 Ridge Road PUD amendment near Lambeau Field
The original plan paired two parcels across a land swap; that deal fell through, so the PUD was redrawn around existing parcels. The fight was over parking count versus protecting the home at 1820 Frank Street with buffers and fencing.
Woodside Road assisted living expansion
A comp plan amendment and rezone will let the Basten family's assisted living facility expand onto about 3.7 acres of adjacent farmland, avoiding split zoning and future flag lots.
Historic district design review standards
Three Astor Historic District projects cleared the commission this month, all judged consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. Homeowners in historic districts should expect design review for exterior changes — even rear-facing work like decks.
315 S. Jefferson Street conditional use permit
Neighbors packed the floor to weigh in on this CUP before the Council approved it 10-2 with extra conditions, including a six-month check-in and mandatory PD cooperation on drug confiscation.
JBS Redevelopment Site PUD amendment
The old JBS property on Guns Road got a reworked planned unit development, clearing the way for redevelopment of a large industrial site. The Council tweaked the development-area language before adopting it.
Valvoline Instant Oil Change at 895 S. Military Avenue
A Valvoline Instant Oil Change wanted to open at 895 S. Military Avenue, which needs a conditional use permit for minor motor vehicle repair in the C3 commercial zone. The commission approved it with conditions.
Vehicle repair use at 895 S. Military Ave.
Valvoline wants to run an instant oil change and minor auto repair shop in a commercial condo on Military Avenue — staff saw it as a fit for the corridor, and nobody objected.
Rooming house at 828 Cherry Street
Neighbors weighed in before the council narrowly approved a rooming house conditional use permit on a 9-3 vote.
Grandview PUD amendment and development patterns
Developers are fine-tuning the 2014 Grandview traditional neighborhood development — shifting multifamily and townhome layouts, adding carriage courts, and updating setbacks to the new zoning code. Neighbors are frustrated about repeated changes and late mailed notices.
Congregate living concentration on the near-east side
A 20-bed sober-living rooming house at 828 Cherry Street exposed a bigger question: 13 of the city's 16 mapped congregate living facilities sit in downtown aldermanic districts 7 and 9, and the zoning code has no concentration limits for most of them. Neighbors and Commissioner Daniels want that looked at.
JBS site boundary cleanup with Bellevue
A land swap with the Village of Bellevue means the former JBS site parcel is now fully in Green Bay's PUD, and the Walmart parking lot officially belongs to Walmart. Mostly paperwork.
Front yard setback enforcement on Spence Street
A homeowner's unpermitted front porch exceeds the neighborhood setback by 9.7 feet. The board denied the variance, meaning the porch must come down and be rebuilt smaller or as a permitted structure.
East Shore Circle lakefront addition and setback
A narrow lakefront lot got permission to extend the home toward the street for a second garage stall and more living space, with neighbor support and no objection to views or the bay.
New garage requirements for 3-4 family residences
A December 2025 zoning update now requires enclosed garage stalls for three- and four-unit buildings. A Crooks Street landlord got caught in the transition and won a variance to avoid rebuilding a condemned garage.
Washington Street overnight parking modification
The weekend overnight no-stopping rule downtown is changing on a 90-day trial: most of it goes away, but a stretch near Doty Street gets a new restriction, and the Walnut Street loading zone is reworked. Trial results could make the change permanent.
Green Bay's first accessory dwelling unit permit
A homeowner at 123 Joan Avenue wants to add a 691-square-foot mother-in-law suite with its own entrance and utilities. The approval sets the city's first precedent under its ADU rules, which require owner occupancy, cap size at 1,000 square feet, and bar short-term rental use of the ADU.
Georgia-Pacific parking lot reconstruction variances
Georgia-Pacific wants to rebuild its South Broadway employee parking lot to its existing 1980s-era layout without modern landscaping, screening, or driveway upgrades. The board granted all six variances, so the lot will remain largely as-is.