Oconto Falls Main Street Committee to consider design review

Goal is consistent ‘look’ to downtown business district
By: 
Warren Bluhm
Editor-in-chief

The Oconto Falls Main Street Committee plans to hold a special meeting June 1 to review proposed building design and sign guidelines for downtown businesses.

City Administrator Peter Wills presented the proposal to the committee earlier this year. During the group’s May 17 meeting, he said he hasn’t received much feedback from panel members to advance the plan, which calls for business owners to submit proposed building upgrades to the committee for review..

“We’re kind of stuck in the red zone,” Wills said. “I’d like some input so we can get into the end zone.”

Committee members agreed to go over the proposals and meet June 1 to have a recommendation ready for the June city council meeting.

The committee did vote May 17 to recommend an ordinance change that would allow residences in downtown buildings on the second floor and the rear of the first floor. Even though there are several buildings where apartments have been established even in downtown storefronts, the city zoning code does not currently allow for residences. The city council will receive that recommendation in June, as well.

The boundaries of the design review area were established, essentially the downtown retail district. Several parcels on Franklin and River streets were removed from the proposal to focus on the main downtown area.

A proposed historic preservation district was set aside for the time being. Wills said the goal was to make sure the city has some input when a building owner plans to tear down or make significant changes, to begin to set a coordinated “look” to Oconto Falls’ business district.

He emphasized the design review would only cover the outside of structures — the outline of the building, types of materials, window style, and its use for commercial business — not the interior.

“It isn’t coming in and saying you have to keep the original woodwork inside,” Wills said.

Committee member and Alderwoman Ashley Bahrke said she is more in favor of the design review area than the historic preservation district.

“I would hate to put in guidelines that make it more difficult for someone to develop properties that are clearly deteriorating,” Bahrke said.

Mayor Brad Rice said he favors having designs reviewed but didn’t see anything in the plan to enforce the guidelines. There’s nothing, for example, to prevent someone from buying a building, doing nothing to spruce it up or bring in a retail business, and allowing the structure to continue to deteriorate, he said

“All you’re going to have is voluntary compliance, because there’s no teeth in this,” Rice said.

Wills said the committee’s emphasis has been on voluntary compliance in order to seek buy-in from the business community.

The panel agreed to again ask the Oconto Falls Chamber of Commerce and city planning commission to send a representative to serve on the Main Street Committee. They reviewed Max Mayer’s suggestion that a downtown residential landlord be included but agreed that the group’s purpose is to revitalize downtown’s retail and commercial nature.