Town of Port Washington neighbors are asked to sell acres of land; TMJ4 asks town leaders what they know

TOWN OF PORT WASHINGTON — Neighbors in the Town of Port Washington tell TMJ4 News they've been approached by a real estate developer who is working on behalf of an unknown company to get landowners to agree to sell more than 1,000 acres of land by May 31st.

TMJ4's Lighthouse team, our new specialty reporting unit, is dedicated to shining the light on important issues and holding people in power accountable.

Ryan Jenkins is on the Lighthouse team and went to speak with homeowners in the Town of Port Washington.

Paul Krauska said he was approached by the real estate developer, who made an offer to buy his 5 acres of land, including his custom-built house.

TMJ4 News

"My son unfortunately had a stroke and so we need the house handicap accessible and any house you buy is not going to be, so you have to change it," said Krauska.

A move wouldn't be easy for his family and it comes with a cost. Krauska said the offer made by the developer isn't enough to be considered fair and he still has questions.

"They're not telling us who the company is. They can't give us an approximate date when they'll officially announce something to the public other than possibly July 31st, we have to sign on the dotted line by May 31st. Other than that I don't know,"

He isn't alone. Jenkins spoke with several neighbors and they're all experiencing something similar and they're not fully sure why.

The neighbors say they've heard that a company wants to come in and buy upwards of 1,900 acres of land to build a semiconductor plant to make computer chips.

The area being considered appears to be between I-43 to the west the Ozaukee Interurban Bike Trail to the East, Dixie Road to the North, and Lake Drive to the south.

That's more than 10% of the town's total acreage.

Jenkins took questions to the Town's chairman.

Ryan Jenkins: "This is still kind of a puzzle."

Town Chairman Mike Didier: "Correct yeah, no one has approached the town and people are putting the pieces together, connecting the dots and making assumptions that it is tied to the CHIPS Act grant that Congress passed and coming to a conclusion Whether it's accurate or not, is yet to be determined."

Didier said if someone applies for a commercial building permit today, they'd be denied.

"It would have to be changed or could be annexed to a neighboring community," said Didier. "The zoning would have to change if this were to happen and I don't feel like there's an appetite for that at this point."

Mike also said he would welcome new jobs and business to the area, but it's too early to determine whether those will actually come through this mysterious project.

"It does feel a little early to be having conversations about something that may not materialize at all," he said.

Neighbors say some area farmers have started to agree to sell off land and have signed agreements to stay quiet about it, for now.

Back on Krauska's front porch, he hopes the lifestyle of the area doesn't change too much if he can't come to an agreement with the people looking to purchase his property.

"I wanted the country life and this is what I built," he said. "I think they should be more than fair. Not like hidden behind closed doors like they were with Foxconn.

While the details about which company may be interested in securing land in Port Washington, Krauska did say he was told the company would make their plans public by the end of July. That's when we could learn whether that company would come to Wisconsin or if they would develop in Indiana or Ohio instead, according to Krauska.

This is a story the TMJ4 News Lighthouse team will continue to shine the light on.

Have a story idea to share? Reach out to Ryan.Jenkins@TMJ4.com

It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.

Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.

Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip