11/19/2008

Four Feet

What's four feet between friends? That would depend, I guess. What's four feet between a Board of Zoning Appeals and a potential baseball franchise? Quite a bit, actually.

The Waukesha city Board of Zoning Appeals is refusing to grant a zoning variance to a developer who wants to build a baseball stadium in Waukesha's Frame Park to host the first Northwoods League amateur team in the Milwaukee market.

The developer, Chad Bauer, wanted to erect a grandstand building that would be four feet taller than permitted.

Bauer now must scramble to come up with new plans for a shorter building before he goes to the Plan Commission on Wednesday night to get final approval of his project. He has preliminary approval, but final approval was dependent on getting the height variance.

There has been a bit of resistance to the as yet unnamed franchise that would like to start up in June. Now, that information at the middle link is a bit unfair. I mean, have you ever been to Brainerd? But, for some background on the "four feet" thing click on that third link. It goes to a story way back in August.

A new baseball stadium for the only amateur Northwoods League baseball franchise in this part of the state would not alter the picturesque views in Frame Park, a jewel on the Fox River, two key officials who will scrutinize construction plans said.

Opponents say they find that assessment hard to believe because the project would have a tall structure for concessions, ticketing and a press box, a party deck near an outfield foul line, and a children’s area with inflated amusement structures.

The fight for Common Council approval was tough for proponents who wanted the Northwoods League to use the aging Frame Park baseball diamond as its home field, and the next base to cross for the proposal is city Plan Commission approval of the stadium specifics.

“I think people will be pleasantly surprised at how nice it will be,” Mayor Larry Nelson said. “It will not intrude on the formal gardens or any of the hiking or biking paths.”

But, there is a little thing called history.

Opponents of the Frame Park proposal say a large fan base and permanent stadium would harm a park nurtured to be a tranquil space within an industrial and hectic city.

Activists formed Friends of Frame Park to organize opposition to the stadium plan. Opponents include two great-great-granddaughters of Andrew Frame, the park’s namesake who donated land to the city in 1928.

Despite those concerns, the Common Council this month approved the concept of allowing the team into Frame Park, in part, because Bauer pledged to direct at least $1.2 million in cash and resources into field and structure improvements.

Bauer is co-owner of the Green Bay Bullfrogs.

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