Plan Commission Minutes
Town of Washburn
Town Hall
Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Commission members present: Cyndi Belanger (secretary), Kim Bro (chair), Tim Schwenzfeier (vice chair), Caroline Twombly.
Commission members absent: Seth Vasser (town board representative).
Others present (at first site visit): Joe Groshek & Sandy Sky, Rod Lauren, Brendon & Kylie Marten, Scottie Sandstrom (Town chair),

1. Chairman Bro called the meeting of the Commission to order at 7:37 P.M. and verified its legal notification (posted at Town Hall and Tetzner Dairy) on August 29, 2025 and on Town website on August 31, 2025).
2. The minutes of the August 5, 2025 meeting were approved (Caroline moves, Kim seconds).
3. Prior to the meeting at 6:10 P.M., the commission conducted a site visit at Joe Groshek’s & Sandy Sky’s 5 acre parcel at 30650 Sky Road. An existing, shared driveway is on a former glacial beach, and the owners wish to add fill to extend the driveway on their 24 foot easement across their property line and then reconnect to the existing driveway on their land. Rod Lauren, the contractor for Joe and Sandy said he would add a culvert at the westward bend of the extension. The culvert will drain to the south. He will compact the added fill as it is added. The turnaround tee at the west end of the driveway at the owner’s house will extend onto a parcel owned by Bridget and Forest Mann. The new driveway will be shared with the Mann’s and extends westward to the Mann’s future house and garage. Kim mentioned that Mike Harvey told him that there is a potential for the existing culvert to freeze because it flows at the edge of the fill for the new driveway extension. The key is to assure free flow of runoff from the existing culvert to the proposed new culvert.
4. Prior to the meeting at 6:30 P.M., the commission conducted a site visit at Terry Butler’s 22 acre parcel adjacent to 77515 W. Maple Hill Rd. An existing driveway extends on an easement approximately 1,300 feet west from W. Maple Hill Rd and runs for approximately 270 feet on the owner’s property. The owner proposes extending a driveway from the existing driveway approximately 1,000 feet west and then 600 feet south to a rise in the landscape where the owner placed orange stakes marking a proposed house. Wood stakes marked a future septic drain field west of the proposed driveway approximately 170 feet north of the proposed house. No flagging marked the driveway or the tee turnaround, but there is sufficient clear area for the driveway and a tee proposed near the house. The owner proposes installing drain tile and large rock at a depression between a mapped wetland south of the driveway and wetland soils to the north near where the proposed driveway splits from the shared driveway. The land is sandy soil with fairly good load bearing capacity.
5. Prior to the meeting at 6:50 P.M. the commission conducted a site visit at Kyle and Emily Hall’s 5.6 acre parcel approximately 400 feet east of the driveway to 27650 N. Maple Hill Rd. The owners propose constructing a driveway extending northwest on sand-over-clay soil. The owners had flagged a proposed driveway extending through woodland off of an existing trail. No turnaround tee was marked. There is a fairly steep drop-off from the roadside to the proposed driveway, and much fill would be required to meet the grade requirements of the driveway ordinance. The vegetation in the existing trail indicates that there are seeps in the soil that will require a load-bearing base below a gravel surface.
6. The commission reviewed the driveway permit application for Joe Groshek and Sandy Sky to construct an extension to their property of an existing shared, driveway. The extension reconnects to the existing driveway approximately 230 feet west of the owner’s east property line. The purpose of the extension is to relocate the shared driveway so that it does not cross the property owned by neighbors Brandon and Kailee Marten. The proposed extension should meet the loadbearing, drainage, and turnaround requirements of the driveway ordinance. The commission recommends (Cyndi moves, Caroline seconds, Tim abstains) that the Town Board approve the permit for this extension.
7. The commission reviewed the driveway permit application and preliminary development plan for Terry A. Butler to extend a shared driveway and to construct a residence in a Forestry 1 zoning district on a 22 acre parcel extending beyond 77515 W Maple Hill Rd. (~W½ NW¼SE¼ Section 29 T.49N R.5W; Tax ID #31101 + #31085). The Commission recommends ((Cyndi moves, Tim seconds) that the Town Board approve the driveway permit. The proposed drain tile and large rock in the depression and the sandy soils will assure good drainage, and the clear areas and grades provide adequate space for a driveway to meet the ordinance requirements. The property is set back a long distance from the Town road.

8. The commission reviewed the driveway permit application Kyle & Emily Hall to construct a driveway on their 5.6 acre parcel ~400’ east of the driveway for 27650 N Maple Hill Rd (E½SE¼ SW¼SE¼ Section 21 T.49N R.5W; Tax ID #37884). The Commission recommends (Cyndi moves, Caroline seconds) that the Town Board approve a driveway permit with the following conditions (Driveway Ordinance S.4):
● Fill to the right-of-way such that the grade is no greater than 2%.
●Fill to the turnaround such that the grade is no greater than 10%.
●Install an 18-inch culvert under the driveway approximately 90 feet from the Righ-of-way.
●Construct a turnaround with a turning radius of at least 25 feet west of the culvert.
The woodland between the turnaround and the road retains the rural character of the area (Objective 8.5)

9. Kim reported that the City of Washburn and the Town of Bayview provided additional fill soil to fill almost all the areas of subsidence on the east third of the closed landfill cap. The area has been graded and seeded. The plan for the smaller areas of subsidence on the west two-thirds of the landfill cap is to require that clean soil from the East Bayfield Street construction project in 2027 be delivered to the landfill and spread over the areas of subsidence and reseeded. That likely will be more than enough clean soil., which can be stored at the property off of the clay cap.

10. Kim reported that the Bayfield County Planning and Zoning Committee does not want the new zoning ordinance to provide minimum lot sizes for Agriculture 1 and Forestry 1 districts any large than 4.5 acres. The Committee has not embraced the idea of creating districts consistent with the Wisconsin Farmland Preservation Zoning Law. There will need to be stronger advocacy by towns to bring about these recommendations from the Town Comprehensive Plan.

11. The next meeting will be Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 7 PMand will focus on making town roads safe for pedestrians and bicycles.
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12. The meeting adjourned at 8:45 P.M. (Cyndi moves, Tim seconds).

Draft submitted by: Kenneth Bro, Chair, Town of Washburn Plan Commission (September 9, 2025).
Approved October 7 2025.
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Plan Commission Report

The commission recommends that the Town Board approve the driveway permits for Joe Groshek and Sandy Sky, for Terry A. Butler, and for Emily and Kyle Hall with the conditions recommended above.