Plan Commission recommends denying rezoning and CUP for proposed tree-removal business on Mer Hill Lane

The Village of Germantown Plan Commission recommended denial on June 8 of a request to rezone about 2.1 acres at W212 N11206 Mer Hill Lane from RS2 (single-family) to B3 (general business) and to grant a conditional-use permit to operate a tree-removal and firewood processing contractor shop.

Staff told the commission the 2050 comprehensive plan designates the area as low‑density residential and said the proposed rezoning is inconsistent with that guidance. Staff also outlined the property’s enforcement history, saying "the historical use of the property for tree services was never legal never a legal use of the property" and noting prior code violations and denied rezoning attempts in the 2000s.

Brandon O’Brien, the applicant’s attorney, said the business would primarily operate offsite and would only need the parcel for equipment storage, employee staging and limited firewood cutting and splitting. "Most of the work is done offsite," O’Brien said, stressing there would be no on‑site mulching or grinding and no water or sewer connections proposed at this time.

A nearby resident who spoke during the hearing opposed the proposal and presented photographs she said showed repeated flooding near the Lutheran church property, arguing the neighborhood sought to remain residential and that neighbors had not been adequately surveyed on land‑use changes. Commissioners repeatedly cited neighborhood compatibility and noise concerns; several described the B3 district as a historical "catch‑all" that can enable uses incompatible with surrounding residences.

A motion to deny the rezoning and the CUP passed by voice vote; the Plan Commission’s action was recorded as a recommendation and will be forwarded to the Village Board for final action.

What happens next: the Village Board will consider the commission’s recommendation at a future meeting; no final zoning change or CUP issuance will occur until the board acts.