EDITORIAL: Protect the Town of Fredonia’s rural character

Open land in Ozaukee County and in much of the rest of Wisconsin is being converted to economic energy at a fast pace through industrial, commercial and residential development. That is generally a good thing for municipalities, making taxable valuations grow to support services for growing populations.

But outside of the boundaries of incorporated municipalities, in the towns that govern lightly populated rural areas, open land can be more valuable than taxable development by making possible a way of life their residents seek.

The Town of Fredonia recognizes this with a zoning code and comprehensive plan that limit development that is not in keeping with the town’s rural and agricultural character. It would be a mistake, with consequences for many town residents, for the Town Board to forgo those protections to accommodate a large, noisy business operation.

Yet town officials are considering a proposed zoning change to allow a sprawling motorsports facility with acres of pavement for autocross car-handling competition and other driving activities on 72 acres of farmland.

No one can accuse the Fredonia Plan Commission of rushing to judgment—the zoning change has remained unresolved since it was proposed nearly five months ago. Meanwhile, the anxiety of residents who fear the effects of the development has been growing.

Petitions opposing the zoning change signed by 166 residents have been presented to the town government. At the Plan Commission’s most recent meeting, more than 15 people spoke against the motorsports facility, citing noise, traffic, stormwater runoff from its expansive paved surface, the effect on property values and the fact that it is obviously incompatible with the town’s 2035 comprehensive plan.

This should have been an easy decision. The motorsports complex to be named JXB Proving Grounds is so contrary to the rural character of the town as defined by its zoning ordinance and land-use planning documents that even if the zoning were changed from agricultural to business the enterprise would need a conditional use grant to operate.

The development proposed for the land bordered by Jay Road and Highway 57 as described in the rezoning petition from the Saukville firm JXB Performance, which markets speed-enhancing equipment for high-performance vehicles, is impressive.

It would include an 18-acre paved area for driving competition, a 17,000-square-foot corporate headquarters building, pavilion, spectator balcony, restaurant and facilities for related uses such as live entertainment, retail, camping and storage.

It sounds like a venue motorsports enthusiasts would enjoy and could be an attraction for visitors to the community in which it is located. But that community should not be the Town of Fredonia.

By the nature of their communities, elected officials of cities and villages devote much of their work in office to seeking and managing development. The expectation for town officials is almost the opposite—to protect land from development.

The Town of Saukville is a vivid example. Its Town Board members, with robust support from their constituents, have repeatedly declared their opposition to any land use that does not align with town planning that preserves working farms and natural areas, restricts development, including residential subdivisions, and recognizes the value of the open space of the countryside.

The Town of Port Washington is an example of a different sort, one that exposes the vulnerability of rural land. The town lost 2,000 acres of farmland when it was sold to a developer and much of it was claimed by the City of Port Washington for the data centers under construction there now. The acreage was narrowly connected to the city and thus was fair game for annexation that the Town Board was powerless to stop.

The Town of Fredonia doesn’t have that problem. Its board has unfettered control of the use of land in the town.

On March 4, the town Plan Commission rejected the developer’s offer to pay for a noise study in his effort to make the case for rezoning, a decision that is being interpreted as a sign the panel is finally ready to act. Town Chairman Chris Janik said the rezoning issue will be on the agenda for the commission’s April 6 meeting.

That meeting should at last close the door to a commercial development that is wrong for the Town of Fredonia with a vote to deny the rezoning.