City council approves lease for Riverside wedding venue, changes to zoning law - La Crosse Tribune
A new wedding and event venue in Riverside Park has been given the official OK after the La Crosse Common Council approved its lease Thursday night.
The nine-year lease between the city's Park, Recreation & Forestry Department and developers Hatchery, LLC was approved on a vote of 12-1.
Ahead of Thursday's meeting, council members were provided a new document that laid out operational details, details that some argued were missing from the lease.
The lease allows Hatchery to run a wedding and event venue and Airbnb rental out of a historic fish hatchery building at the north end of Riverside Park. The group will start with a rent of $2,200 a month for the next four years.
Council president Barb Janssen said that after abstaining from the previous vote, she had since received enough information from staff to support the project.
"I do feel that the project deserves the chance to succeed and I think that there's a lot of enthusiasm and dedication to go towards this project and it can be a tremendous asset to our city if done right," Janssen said.
She called the lease "well-written," saying it adds "accountability" and "outs" for the city if needed.
"I suspect our expectations will be exceeded," Janssen said.
Other council members echoed the same sentiment.
"I sincerely hope and expect that the success of Hatchery, LLC will be all of our success," said council member Rebecca Schwarz.
The lease and project have been subject to scrutiny in recent months, with neighbors and community members concerned about the impact that it would have on the park.
The approved lease includes protections for the nearby International Friendship Gardens, and the operational details, which will go before the Board of Park Commissioners next month, outlines that the venue will follow the operating hours of Riverside Park.
Council member Scott Neumeister was the only one to oppose the lease.
The lease will go into effect on Jan. 1, though it is unclear when exactly the venue will be up and running.
The Common Council also approved a change to zoning law Thursday night, allowing for an additional story on structures in one district.
The change was prompted by a request from Bethany Lutheran Homes to build an addition to its campus on the South Side of La Crosse. The building in question would be four stories in height, though the current R5 Zoning only allowed for three-and-a-half.
Neighbors were concerned about rezoning the site to the next category, which would have allowed up to 10 stories. Officials instead thought it was an opportunity to update the zoning law and allow for more flexibility in future developments.
The ordinance change now allows any structures built or altered in the R5 Zoning District to be up to 55 feet or four stories in height.
It was approved unanimously and goes into effect immediately.
The zoning change has been yet another somewhat controversial topic that has moved through the council in recent weeks and months, and council member Mark Neumann commented on the amount of civic engagement.
"To me, as a new council member, it was very dramatic to see how our democracy works," he said. "There were people that were on both sides and the issues were brought up with courage and with just devotion because it takes time to get engaged."
source: https://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/city-council-approves-lease-for-riverside-wedding-venue-changes-to-zoning-law/article_afb1dda3-3fad-531f-af30-bc4816c81146.html
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