Grafton drops business park due to protests

Town Board, residents opposed development of 114 acres along I-43

The village of Grafton is no longer exploring the development of a business park east of I-43 due to strong opposition from residents and elected officials in the town of Grafton.

The village of Grafton contracted with MLG Commercial about two years ago to study the feasibility of a business park. The study, which was presented to the Grafton Village Board on Jan. 15, found consensus among economic development officials, commercial real estate brokers and corporations that a business park would be successful in Grafton.

After considering a number of locations, MLG selected a 114-acre parcel east of I-43, west of Highway C and north of Ulao Road. MLG’s decision was based on the parcel’s proximity to I-43, restaurants and hotels, among other factors. The proposal was unveiled during the Jan. 15 Grafton Village Board meeting.

For MLG to develop the business park, the Village Board would have had to annex that land from the town of Grafton and rezone the property from agricultural to industrial. MLG was also requesting the village use tax incremental financing to support the business park.

Village officials were still in the phase of investigating a potential business park. In the last two months, the Village Board authorized $246,000 for engineering services, $14,000 for financial services and $14,000 for public relations work in association with the project.

The proposal prompted the Grafton Town Board to take the rare step of publicly opposing the project. The resolution adopted by town officials on Feb. 15 explains that the property is not contiguous to the village’s boundary, and that the village’s business park plans are “detrimental to both municipalities’ development and the needs of the community at large.”

The village of Grafton has annexed nearly 800 acres in the town over the last several decades, but Grafton Town Chairman Lester Bartel said this is the first to trigger a formal objection from town officials.

In a letter posted on the town’s website, Bartel said there has always been an agreement between the town and the village that the land east of I-43 would not be targeted for commercial development. He said the land is better suited for residential homes, which would help grow enrollment in the Grafton School District.

Bartel also said the project is an inappropriate use of tax incremental financing, which is intended for blighted property.

Residents opposed to the business park circulated two online petitions, one for town residents and one for village residents. As of Monday, the village petition had 449 signatures and the town petition had 156 signatures.

One of the concerned neighbors is Meghan Byrnes, who left Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood less than a year ago for a more-spacious home in a quiet Grafton subdivision.

Now, she worries the business park will bring noise, traffic and pollution to her neighborhood.

“When we purchased a home in this area, it was because it was a quiet, close-knit community,” she said. “Now people feel betrayed because this was never what that land was intended for.”

In an interview Friday, Grafton Village President James Brunnquell said village officials are no longer considering the business park in that location.

“We have a pretty close relationship with the town,” he said. “We share a logo, a brand and a vision for the community. It does not appear this proposal in this particular location is consistent with that vision.”

Brunnquell said it is up to MLG whether the firm is still interested in pursuing a business park in a different area of Grafton.

“It does not appear this proposal in this particular location is consistent with that vision.”

James Brunnquell, Grafton village president