CEDARBURG, Wis. — The developers behind a proposed 13-acre private pond in the Town of Cedarburg have filed a legal challenge seeking to overturn the town board's decision to deny their project, escalating a months-long dispute that has drawn strong opposition from area residents.
The lawsuit argues the town government lacked the authority to deny the proposal based on existing Town ordinances. Developers Michale and Stacy Gauthier are seeking a court review of that process and, ultimately, for the denial to be overturned.
The Town of Cedarburg board rejected the pond proposal in February and went later went further by adopting an ordinance prohibiting ponds larger than five acres within its jurisdiction.
The Gauthier proposal has changed since it was first introduced. The project no longer calls for drawing water directly from Cedar Creek. Instead, developers plan to use a high-capacity well, which TMJ4 photographed being installed earlier this year.
Reached for comment, Michael Gauthier said he had nothing more to add at this time.
Trever Cox, who grew up in Cedarburg and now lives in the Town of Grafton, said the creek holds deep personal significance. He is one of many people who have joined a grassroots effort to protect the waterway, called Save Cedar Creek.
"This is where I would swim, fish... That private lake is going to have an impact... We're going to fight tooth and nail, and if they don't respect this community's wishes, why are they a part of our community?"
Dawn Turner, who grew up in Cedarburg but later moved away, said the nature of the project itself has remained unclear to residents.
"It's going to be a water skiing lake. No, it's going to be a fishing pond," Turner said of the changing information. "Apparently, it's their right to have this reexamined, but I think it's pretty clear that the community is not in agreement with this."
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