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A pair of divisive development issues have surfaced — or resurfaced — in the town of Onalaska. At a plan commission meeting this week, residents spoke out against a development along Hwy. Z and the Severson Farm/Gavaghan Property development.
Thomas and Sandra Thompson, W8071 Hwy. ZB, are proposing to develop a two-acre parcel to include a three-unit condominium under the name Prairie Dog Acres. That proposal has drawn the ire of nearby residents who oppose multifamily units on the rural property, and 52 of them signed a petition opposing the development.
Bob Ruud presented the petition, who said his fiancée, Diane Klinkner, garnered the signatures in about four hours. All surrounding landowners signed the petition, with the exception of Earl Pedretti, who owns an agricultural field to the east of the site. In 2007, Pedretti petitioned to have the comprehensive plan amended for lands on Brice Prairie bordered by Hwy. Z, which would allow for future zoning transition from Trans Ag and Industrial to Industrial, Ag A and Commercial.
“There’s a lot of people up here who aren’t very happy,” Ruud said. In addition to increasing the population density in the area, Ruud said, neighbors were concerned about the loss of green space. “We’ve lived here for 15 years now,” he said. “I used to see deer over there. I’ve seen red fox. I’ve seen pairs of nesting geese. It’s about keeping the natural animals that inhabit that space.”
The Thompsons say the property will remain 77 percent green space.
Chad Devine owns property on the west side of the proposed development. He purchased his property in 2007 as a hobby farm and has more than 40,000 square feet of vegetable gardens along with several farm animals.
Renee Finck, who owns the adjacent “Pickle Ranch” with Devine, isn’t in favor of the multifamily units.
“If someone wants to put a house there, that’s great,” Finck said. “A single-family development might not be that bad of an idea.”
She also said that the Pickle Ranch is a Brice Prairie icon and she doesn’t want the headaches that can come when high numbers of people move into agricultural areas.
“We’re not unfriendly people, we just don’t want to be hammered on if our chickens are squawking,” she said. “It’s hobby farm. I don’t know, the whole thing is saddening,” Devine said that if the Thompsons are allowed to put a duplex and another unit on the property, what’s to keep other similar development from occurring on Brice Prairie.
A consulting firm used by the town has said that based on the subdivision ordinance for the town, the lot cannot be further subdivided.
A motion at this week’s meeting to send the matter to the town board failed. A second motion to conduct a public hearing was approved.
The Thompsons could not be reached for comment for this story.
Meanwhile, the divisive and ongoing Severson Farm/Gavaghan Property development has reemerged with a new plan. Ted Thomson, who previously attempting to develop the 480-acre property into housing units, is trying again. This time, the proposal is for calls for “mini-farms” of 35 to 40 acres.
The matter will come before the next Plan Commission. In 2006, Fred Schomberg and Sean Gavaghan, partners of Thompson, threatened that if they couldn’t get approval to develop the property for housing, they would use a portion of the property as a hog-farming operation.
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ANGRY AL wrote on Jul 18, 2009 4:11 AM:
Threatened is EXACTLY the right word!! This Gavaghan creep has been trying to bully this community and destroy its natural beauty all so he can cash in at our expense.
He and his father-in-law keep pushing plans on us year after year. We all have to continue to let the Planning Commission and local government people know how much we are all against this every single time it comes up!! "