Paradise Saved - At Least for Now
by Steve Eatough
The Liberty Grove Town Board has, for the second time in two years, requested that Door County amend HL-10 zoning to allow any trade contractors, car repair, or boat repair businesses to start or expand their commercial enterprises in the HL-10 zoning district. The Town Board argues that area contractors just can’t find adequate commercially zoned property on which to expand or start a business. Since Liberty Grove has adopted Door County Comprehensive Zoning, County approval is necessary to enact this significant change. HL-10 zoned property is intended to have parcels with a minimum lot size of 10 acres that, per the ordinance, “provides for residential development at low densities, agricultural uses, and other nonresidential uses that require relatively large land areas and/or which are compatible with the surrounding rural character.” Currently, a Liberty Grove business owner can have a business on HL-10 zoned property─if they already also live on the same site. This change then would only impact contractors who don’t want to live on the same site as their business.
The proposed zoning change would potentially affect over 5,000 acres of property, almost all of it in Liberty Grove. I don’t think anyone wants to see commercial buildings sprawling across our beautiful northern Door County and Liberty Grove landscape. This past August, I approached the Liberty Grove Town Board with an alternative solution to potentially meet local contractor needs. I suggested a light industrial park on Town-owned property adjacent to the Town Hall as an alternative to the requested zoning change. The Town of Liberty Grove currently owns 47 acres adjoining the Town Hall on Old Stage Road. The Town now uses only approximately 13 acres of this property for Town purposes. The vacant balance of 34 acres has frontage on two roads, has been unused for decades, and in my opinion, would make a great light commercial park.
I was told by a Liberty Grove Board member that they had considered a light commercial park as an option to meet contractor needs two years ago, but the County would not allow the industrial park at that location. This just didn’t sound right to me. So, I contacted the director of the Door County Land Use Services Department, Mariah Goode. She informed me that a light commercial park was indeed possible at that site, providing the Town did one of two things: 1) The Town needed to either change its long-term comprehensive plan to identify the subject property as a future industrial park, or 2) have a documented vote by the voters in Liberty Grove, indicating that the majority favored changing the zoning of the property to light commercial zoning. Light commercial zoning would allow lots as small as 20,000 square feet or slightly less than a half-acre in size. If a generous 14 acres of the remaining 34 acres were used as buffer and screening, the remaining 20 acres utilized as an industrial park could optimally accommodate as many as 40 businesses. Businesses that require larger lots could also be located there. I provided all this information to a member of the Liberty Grove Town Board and made sure that a direct conversation between the Town and the County was had so there were no misunderstandings. However, the Town, without ever holding a vote of the Liberty Grove voters, pressed on with the proposed amendment. On October 17 the proposed Liberty Grove HL-10 Amendment was presented to the Resource Planning Committee at the County for consideration. With a 4-1 vote, the Committee recommended denial of the text amendment petition for the following reasons:
· The proposed amendment is not in keeping with the general reasons a text amendment should be adopted.
· The amendment will not correct an inconsistency or loophole within the ordinance.
· The amendment is not consistent with the goals of the comprehensive plan as the existing text.
· The amendment is contrary to the stated goals of the ordinance itself.
The proposed amendment went to the County Board on November 12, 2024, where it was denied on a vote of 20-1. I believe that there is a need for more commercially zoned property in Liberty Grove and that the industrial park concept should be considered to meet that demand. We want, and need, our local contractors to have the required space to operate and expand their businesses. I encourage the Town to pursue this alternative and I believe residents would enthusiastically support this solution.