By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The Delavan Common Council on June 14 approved the rezoning of a property and a conditional use permit that will allow the former mill at 203 Richmond Road to be renovated into a duplex and possibly some office space.
John Cangelosi owns the property and has already spent much time and money rehabilitating the building. Alderman Ryan Schroeder said he and many others remember what an eyesore the building was before Cangelosi began work on it and he commended Cangelosi for cleaning it up.
The building had to be rezoned from “business neighborhood” to “office neighborhood” to suit the needs Cangelosi has for the property, according to Building Inspector Fred Walling.
“This is the best use for that location,” he said.
Walling said Cangelosi plans to turn the majority of the main building into a duplex and possibly turn the front portion into office space. In addition to the rezoning, the council also approved a conditional use permit that will allow both of those uses.
The permit came with three conditions. Any future use of the accessory buildings on the property, other than for storage, would require an amended permit, no additional curb cuts will be allowed onto Richmond Road, and Cangelosi must combine the two existing tax parcels the property sits on.
“The proposed use is a very welcome use for this property, which has sat vacant for several years,” Walling wrote in a memo to the council.
City Hall hours
The council approved a change in hours city hall will be open to the public. The hours are currently 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for the city offices and the Public Works Department with the Parks and Recreation office open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 pm. The new hours will be 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for all three offices, effective Sept. 1.
Administrator Denise Pieroni said the extra 30 minutes in the morning will allow staff to prepare better for opening to the public and will help them serve the public better. She said research was done on the hours offered by neighboring communities and the new hours are not out of line with what they are doing.
Kelly Hayden, finance director, said in a memo to the council that staff kept a tally beginning in February to see how many customers used the office between 7:30 and 8 a.m. It showed 11 customers came to the Public Works office and 26 came to the city office counter during that time and a majority of them were there closer to 8 a.m. than 7:30 a.m.
Hayden said staff need 10 to 15 minutes to prepare the front counter for customer service, which includes time to log into the computer system, open cash registers, start printers and check the drop box. Most of that must be done before any customers can be served, which requires a staff member to come in early.
Land sold to Hunter’s
The council approved the sale of just more than 15,000 square feet of land adjacent to Hunter’s Automotive to owner Tom Purcell for $37,684. The land is vacant. Pieroni said Purcell was interested in the L-shaped land to make his total property “conforming” under the city’s zoning code, give him control of the land adjacent to the rear access of his building, and provide additional space for parking and future expansion.
Rental units
In response to legislation passed at the state level, the council approved changes to its ordinance relating to registration and inspection of rental property in the city contingent on final approval by the city attorney.
Pieroni said one of the main changes at the state level that affects the city’s ordinance is a new requirement that all residential units be included in the program. She said the city estimates 150 to 300 additional residential rental units in the city must be subject to registration and inspection. Pieroni said the city will more actively identify units that should be a part of the program that are not in 2017. She said that will give the city time to make the public aware of the change, and she hopes some property owners will come forward voluntarily.
The other change at the state level that affects the city is that the city will now be required to wait until an inspection actually occurs to charge for it.
New concrete floor
The council approved a contract with Humphrey’s Contracting of Lake Geneva in the amount not to exceed $17,950 to add a concrete floor to the storage building at 490 Richmond Road. The new flooring will allow for a better use and security of the building, said Facilities Manager Paul Weckel.
According to a memo from Weckel, the city budgeted $45,000 in 2016 for improvements to the building. The city has already made improvements at a cost of $27,041. The $17,950 approved will bring the total to $44,991 and keep the project under budget.
Brick House replaced
The council approved a Class B intoxicating liquor license for Sulajmon Rushiti to re-open the former Brick House Bar and Grill at 328 E. Walworth Ave. as the Star Rock Bar and Grill.
