Special Use Permit Fails

A tie vote of the Fond du Lac City Council sank a special use permit request to build 28 town house units at 1212 Ducharme Parkway. City Councilwoman Catherine Block abstained from the vote because she is a subdivision property owner, which led to a 3 to 3 tie vote so the request did not pass Wednesday night. Developer Joe Ziegler (pictured) has developed similar properties in Fond du Lac and said he wants to be a good neighbor. He wanted people to see what he built and that they had nothing to worry about. But Council members like Brian Kolstad heard neighbors concerns about density, traffic and the character of neighborhood and chose to vote against the special use permit. He says the special use permit process is about getting input from adjacent property owners. Council President Karyn Merkel felt if a gas station or hotel was proposed for the property next year the Council would find itself listening to neighbor’s objections again.