Town puts hold on permits for inns, retreats

The Saukville Town Board voted Tuesday to put a moratorium on approving conditional-use permits until they can rewrite their ordinances to include more specific and objective definitions on what’s allowed.

The resolution was in response to a request from the owners of a retreat on Highway 33 to make their operation a bed-and-breakfast inn and to other requests to operate wedding barns in the town.

While bed-and-breakfast inns and wedding venues are an allowable conditional use, officials discovered town ordinances have no definition for such establishments, making them out of compliance with Act 67 passed by the state Legislature in November 2017 that requires those definitions.

The resolution passed 2-0 with Chairman Don Hamm and Supr. Mike Denzien voting. Supr. Curt Rutkowski was absent.

The resolution calls for the moratorium to stay in place for three months. If the issue isn’t resolved after that time period, the resolution allows continuing the moratorium for another three months.

The resolution calls for making it a priority to define bed-and-breakfast inns and wedding venues and to remove any conditional uses that do not have definitions.

Dale Stenbroten, owner of Abloom Farm Resort, again pleaded with supervisors to allow him to continue accepting reservations while they revise the ordinances.

“Take all the time you want, just let me run my business,” he said.

Last month, the town allowed Stenbroten to honor reservations he had already accepted but instructed him to not accept any more until they reworked the ordinances.

Beginning in August 2018, Stenbroten and his wife Katy Rowe have been running the 17-acre resort as a “residential tourist facility,” similar to an Airbnb, for retreats, weddings, family get-togethers and corporate events.

But they did so without any permits or licenses.

Now they want to expand the operation from four to eight guest rooms. Because the land is zoned for agricultural uses, a conditional-use permit is required for a bed-and-breakfast inn.

Once a bed-and-breakfast inn is defined, Stenbroten will be able to apply for the permit, officials said.