New Berlin decides on proposed rescue mission in closed session, announcement to come
Facility would be located off Interstate 43 and Moorland Road in business park
NEW BERLIN, Wis. —
The New Berlin appeals board delayed announcing its decision on a proposed drug and alcohol recovery facility, after deliberating in a closed session Tuesday.
The facility, a 57,000-square-foot expansion of the Milwaukee Rescue Mission’s voluntary addiction treatment program, would be located off Interstate 43 and Moorland Road in a business park. While the nonprofit received approval last year to proceed, a group called New Berlin Citizens United appealed the city’s decision to zone the facility as a church.
Pat Vanderburgh, president and CEO of the Milwaukee Rescue Mission, said the facility will help more than 100 men at a time through voluntary addiction treatment.
“It’s been a long process in New Berlin,” Vanderburgh said.
He said he was disappointed to not know the outcome Tuesday.
“I think that they’re trying to be really careful. And realizing that it is contentious,” Vanderburgh said of the appeals board.
Cody Fitzwilliams, a member of New Berlin Citizens United, explained the group’s position.
“What’s been misconstrued is that we’re anti rescue mission. We’re not anti rescue mission. I believe that they have a right to apply to develop any kind of facility in New Berlin,” Fitzwilliams said.
The wooded area is in a business park and backs up to the interstate, with the closest home about half a mile away. However, New Berlin Citizens United has raised concerns about the zoning of the property and its potential impact on emergency resources.
“I’ve never heard of any religious entity requiring its members to be male only and have some kind of addiction problem to join,” Fitzwilliams said.
Both sides presented their arguments to the Board of Appeals, and the board was expected to make its decision Tuesday.
“I am now directing the board of appeals attorney to draft a written decision based upon the deliberations that we have made today,” board chair John Goetter said Tuesday.
The decision to delay the announcement left many attendees disappointed, with some expressing their frustration openly.
“That’s kind of ridiculous in my opinion. Because if they just talked about it and they just made a decision now, why would they announce it later?” said Spencer Fons, a New Berlin resident.
The Milwaukee Rescue Mission plans to move forward with the project regardless of the board’s decision, even if it requires rezoning or additional permitting. The nonprofit also needs to raise $12 million for the facility, a figure that could increase with further delays.
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