CEDARBURG, WI — A plan commission in the town of Cedarburg has recommended denying a controversial proposal to build a 13.2-acre private pond that would draw water from Cedar Creek, following months of community opposition.
Nearly 200 residents attended Wednesday's plan commission meeting, with almost 100 people present in person and over 100 participating virtually to voice their concerns about the proposed pond northeast of Covered Bridge on Cedar Creek.
"I'm here because I'm concerned about what's going to happen to Cedar Creek," said Cindy Barlo, who lives on the creek.
The plan commission examined three components of the proposal: rezoning the property to combine parcels for pond construction, a certified survey map, and the pond design. Commissioners voted to recommend denial of each part of the proposal.
Watch: Cedarburg commission recommends denying pond proposal after resident opposition
Caleb Wardenburg, another creek resident, expressed relief at the decision.
"Ultimately, I would love it if they just voted it down tonight," Wardenburg said before the vote. "I'm concerned about this proposal, I'm concerned about the potential for damages, irreversible to the town, to myself as a homeowner who is living adjacent to this proposed build."
The plan commission originally passed the recommendation in October, but the town board sent it back after public comment prompted reconsideration.
During Wednesday's hearing, the attorney for the Gauthier family, owners of Grafton's Gauthier Biomedical, expressed confusion about why the plan was approved in October but not now. Both the Gauthier family and their attorney declined to comment to TMJ4 after the meeting.
In a statement sent to TMJ4 in November, Michael Gauthier wrote, "The pond is located on our private property and is for our personal use. We are fully complying with all applicable statutes, codes, ordinances, and requirements."
Supporters of Save Cedar Creek, an organization created to oppose the project, celebrated the commission's decision.
"We're just thrilled that the planning commission has made this decision; it's a huge win for us, and we're hoping everything continues to run smoothly," said Suzanne Cahill of Save Cedar Creek.
While the plan commission makes recommendations on rezoning matters, the town board will make the final decision on the proposal.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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