Sturgeon Bay Says New Power Line Narrows Buildable Land

The underground high-voltage power line routed from this power pole (shown right) could affect development on this vacant lot. Photo by Kevin Boneske.

Resolution sought with American Transmission Company to enable Sturgeon Bay Terrace project to proceed

Given the limited amount of buildable space on the West Waterfront next to the Maple-Oregon Street Bridge, the location where American Transmission Company (ATC) routed a high-voltage power line in that area to go under the bay of Sturgeon Bay could affect development.

Specifically, city officials claim the power line wasn’t located where there was an easement granted for the project, but rather, in an area parallel to it – and construction wouldn’t be allowed on the easement.

City Administrator Josh VanLieshout said the power line, which provides electricity up and down the peninsula, was routed from the city’s West Waterfront underneath the bay to go to the east-side substation on 2nd Avenue.

Though the power-line project seemed to go well overall, with the city being paid around $96,000 “for some inconvenience and some easements,” VanLieshout said an email ATC sent recently about where the easement was recorded showed it was parallel to where the city agreed to the easement.

“[The new easement] encroached further on the buildable area of one of the two West Waterfront lots,” he said.

VanLieshout called the location near the bridge “one of the most frustrating little corners of land in all the world.”

Resolution Sought with ATC

After the Sturgeon Bay Common Council went into closed session Aug. 2 to confer with city attorney Jim Kalny to discuss its options, Mayor David Ward said the council agreed to have staff and the city attorney contact ATC to inform the company of the error in locating the transmission line.

Given that the power line was installed 120 feet underneath the bay and routed to the substation on 2nd Avenue, Ward said it wouldn’t be practical to have ATC remove the power line as part of a settlement the city would seek with the company.

He said the power line is located about 15 feet off of where the city granted an easement for it, and because a building couldn’t be constructed on an easement, it narrows the buildable area on the parcel next to the bridge.

That easement is in the area planned for the Sturgeon Bay Terrace development: a two-story, mixed-use building that would include a deli, beer taproom and event space. The city’s Aesthetic Design and Site Plan Review Board approved revised plans for the development late last month. 

Though the board approved adjusting where the building’s footprint could be located because of the power line, along with a change in the building’s design, whether the development will proceed is now in question, with the issue of the easement yet to be settled.

Peter Gentry, applicant for Sturgeon Bay Terrace with WWP Development, declined to comment publicly on the project’s future.

When ATC was contacted for comment about the power line, Jody Lau, corporate communications project manager, provided the Peninsula Pulse with a statement saying the company is “currently working with the City of Sturgeon Bay to ensure our transmission facilities are protected and enable development along the ship channel.” 

Though not specifically addressing whether the power line was routed in the wrong area on the West Waterfront, Lau said the company last year “successfully replaced a half-mile, 69,000-volt submarine transmission line under the Sturgeon Bay Ship Channel that connects Wisconsin’s lower and upper Door County. The new transmission line enhances electric reliability in Door County.”