Saturday, November 2, 2024

‘There’s so much that needs to be studied’

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MEQUON — Despite plans to soon transform a vacant building at the corner of Donges Bay and Port Washington roads into a Mexican restaurant, several factors, including the building’s overall design, have led planning commissioners to table the developer’s request for approval.

Guzman Properties, LLC.’s Sergio Rodriguez, who helps operate eight restaurants in Wisconsin, sought building and site plan approval for a new Mexican restaurant in the former Sobleman’s Pub & Grille space at 10352 North Port Washington Road. The building was bought in May 2023.

“This group is extremely successful and they are certainly always welcome in all of the communities they have been currently operating in and certainly look forward to a long, tenured relationship with Mequon,” said Brian Ruelle, who acquired the building in 1988 and subsequently transitioned to the Sobelman family in 2015.

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Proposed improvements include new exterior building material, existing roofing material colored a dark green and the removal and replacement of certain doors, windows and the ground level and second story porch decks on west elevation.

City staff, however, felt that not only the undesirable design for that prominent corner, but the lack of landscaping plans and site alterations were sufficient enough reasons to postpone the proposal.

Planning commissioners agreed.

“I share a lot of the same concerns that the staff has expressed about the color,” Martin Choren said during last week’s meeting. “ … There’s so much that needs to be studied and thought about with regards to removing those things, adding windows, the color schemes … it would be very helpful to see what they’ve done at other locations, you know, have they been existing facilities? Have they renovated? How have they done it? What are the color schemes?”

In addition to other concerns such as material used for the siding not faring well in colder climates or different style windows not having matching patterns as requested by city policy, commissioners also noted that area’s busy traffic and the site’s proximity to that intersection.

Mayor Andrew Nerbun explained that due to the restaurant being located in the city’s tax incremental financing district No. 5, which is one of two districts along the Port Washington Road corridor that looks to spur economic redevelopment by considering design alternatives using new lighting, landscaping, signage and other public amenities, revenue used from that TIF could potentially help cover some of the project’s costs.

“… we’re in the early stages of planning improvements along that stretch,” Nerbun said, citing the Interstate 43 project as a reason the city pushed those improvements to next summer. “If we end up tabling, and there’s some further discussion, and there’s things that can be done to improve access that requires some modification of the road, I think there’s a possibility that some of that cost can get picked up by the TIF.”

During May’s meeting, Nerbun entertained the idea of adding a right-turn lane from Donges Bay going to northbound Port Washington Road.

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