Town of Peshtigo approves luxury single-family development near wetlands

PESHTIGO – The Town of Peshtigo Town Board gave its OK on May 20 to a residential development project involving six new homes within a 225-acre tract containing protected wetlands and it passed a change to the street ordinance allowing for private paved roads with Town Board approval.

The new residential development is planned for a tract located southwest of the intersection at Coble Road and Hale School Road in the town’s south portion, and it abuts the Peshtigo Harbor Wildlife Area, according to documents in the agenda packet.

The Town Board approved changing the zoning for 14.3 acres to Ag-2 from Ag-1 to allow for the residential development, Town of Peshtigo Clerk Kayla Okins said.

“There was a recommendation from the Plan Commission to approve the zoning change and the plan development overlay,” she said.

Several residents and an engineer from JSD Professional Services Inc. in Appleton, who is working on the project, spoke during the public hearing at the start of the town board meeting.

After the public hearing, the board unanimously voted to approve the residential plan development overlay, Okins said. “It now goes to the County Board for approval, so we’re not the final say on that,” she added.

A group of individuals own the tract under the name Nephthar Watchtower and they plan to build six spacious homes on about 12.7 acres and a private road with two access points to Coble Road. The documents list Jared Cox as an owner.

The homes, which are estimated at 6,000 square feet and 3,700 square feet in size, are designed to sit on plots that are at least 1.5 acres, according to a project overview JSD provided. The homes surround a 1.6-acre private recreational area with a pond and open play area, JSD said. The private street will encircle the recreational area. The six owners plan to live in the homes they’re building, Okins added.

The 225-acre tract includes 75 acres of partly wooded and partly cultivated upland and 150 acres of wooded and open wetlands. The wetlands include the 78-acre Coble Road Wetland Mitigation site, a permanent open space the Wisconsin Department of Transportation re-established, which the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources manages, according to a description JSD provided to the town.

The Nephthar Watchtower development includes a stormwater facility and private wells.

In the project overview, JSD said the project is “purposefully designed to be consistent with the Town of Peshtigo’s Comprehensive Plan,” which includes a density guideline of 20 acres of open space per dwelling to maintain a rural character in the town’s southern portion.

“Nephthar is strongly committed to creating and sustaining the natural environment in the area and will be collaborating with the WDNR to implement sound forestry, wetland and wildlife habitat management practices within the entire property,” JSD’s overview said.

A resident who spoke during public input inquired whether the development would take away from the area’s agricultural look and whether it would affect their property taxes, said Okins, who provided a recap to a reporter. Another asked how the homes would sell in the future.

Fire Chief Mike Folgert said any new developments in the Town of Peshtigo with private roads should comply with town ordinances and be maintained for fire protection purposes. “We need to make sure that adequate access is available for our large fire trucks at all times,” he said.

Folgert said the fire department received 13 calls since the April Town Board meeting, including two fires involving downed power lines. One was an electrical fire on April 23 in a garage at W2810 County B. The other was a brush fire involving downed power lines April 30 at N3640 Kozuzek Rd. The department’s Brush 2 fire truck “sustained minor body damage from backing into a tree while operating off road” at the April 30 brush fire, according to Folgert’s monthly report.

At the May 1 Fire Commission meeting, Dave Buechler was elected chairperson and Karen Sylvester was elected vice chair, Folgert said.

The Fire Commission has approved the engineering drawings, specifications and change orders for the new fire engine on order.

“Currently, the remaining payment balance is $340,020, however that amount could change slightly as the truck goes into production. Final payment will be made upon truck completion. The town currently does have that amount set aside,” Folgert said.

At the town board meeting, the supervisors approved a change to the street ordinance to allow for private roads, Okins said. With the revision, the ordinance’s applicability section states: “Private roads may be permitted if first approved by the town board, following a prior recommendation from the plan commission. Such private roads shall meet the design requirements for town roads found in this article and must be paved prior to any consideration as a public road.”

The town received an award letter for an $8,377 Responsible Unit grant for recycling center operations, Okins said. The HVAC work on the Town Hall, which used funds from Community Development Block Grant, was completed April 30, though some clean up work remains, Okins said. Because of the remodeling work, the Town Board meeting wasn’t videotaped, she explained.

Editor’s note: An April news story about the Town of Peshtigo published in the Peshtigo Times included an erroneous first name for Fire Chief Mike Folgert. The writer regrets the error.