By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer

ASHWAUBENON – J.D. Byrider has been granted a conditional use permit to operate its own automobile sales facility across the street from where it has been sharing one in the village with Russ Darrow.

The Ashwaubenon village board agreed June 26 to issue the permit requested by Chad Kemnitz of Professional Consultants (agent for J.D. Byrider) for a facility at 2805 Ramada Way, which was originally developed as a Saturn automobile dealership and has been sitting mostly vacant for a number of years.

Village Building Inspector Todd Gerbers said J.D. Byrider is looking to expand at that site.

“They are hoping to reopen it as an automobile dealership for J.D. Byrider,” Gerbers said. “It’s a very slender lot between two hotels at that location…. They’re going to be doing a little bit of interior work on the building and signage on the exterior.”

According to a letter sent from Kemnitz to Gerbers, the changes planned for the building include changing the cashier window and adding two glass partitions in the showroom with no mechanical or building changes.

Gerbers also noted the project plans included vacating the building shared at 2800 Ramada Way.

“If they do vacate the other one – it sits vacant for over a year – then I believe my understanding is that one can no longer be used as an automobile dealership because it would be vacated for a year,” he said. “So, that one would probably go away.”