This drawing depicts what a new Taco Bell restaurant would look like at 2491 Babcock Road, the site of the vacant Oneida Employee Services building that will be torn down. Submitted Illustration 

Oneida Employee Services building to be torn down

By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer

ASHWAUBENON – The development and site improvements for a new Taco Bell drive-thru restaurant on property owned by the Oneida Tribe at the northeast corner of Babcock Road and Wisconsin Highway 172 were approved Tuesday, Aug. 7, by the Ashwaubenon Site Plan Review Committee.

The project includes a 2,075-square-foot, single-story restaurant and the associated improvements with an area to accommodate drive-thru customers at the current site of the vacant Oneida Employee Services building, which will be demolished.

The demolition of the existing building, which would be located over a new parcel line, is a requirement of the certified survey map (CSM) and rezoning previously approved by the Plan Commission and village board.

The site improvements planned include creating 31 new parking stalls with a loop around the building for a drive-thru window.

Village Building Inspector Todd Gerbers said the existing driveway on Babcock Drive will be reutilized for the restaurant.

“We feel that this is far enough off the intersection that we won’t have traffic problems or backing up,” he said. “It could happen at a noon hour, possibly, but we don’t see it as a major concern there.”

Gerbers said the conditions of approval include having all metal wall panels facing a public roadway (Babcock Road and Highway 172) being architectural wall panels, a concrete masonry structure for the refuse/recycling enclosure, the CSM being recorded with Brown County and a Knox Box being installed on the building for public safety access.

Brandon Robaidek, a civil engineer for Robert E. Lee & Associates, which put together the site development drawings for the restaurant, said two new laterals off of Babcock Road would be brought into the site, while the existing laterals would be used for future development on the adjacent lot to the north.

Gerbers said village staff is recommending bike parking be available on site, which is planned for use as a restaurant and located near a residential area.

Storage building

In other action, the committee approved the construction an 8,000-square-foot storage building where a smaller building is located and will be removed at 1144 Ashwaubenon St.

Gerbers said the new building would be set back about 275 feet from the roadway and would be mostly screened from view by other buildings that front the street.

Wall signage

The operators of a Pizza Ranch planned in a tenant space currently being remodeled within the village at 820 Willard Dr. will be able to have 73.5 square feet of wall signage after committee members gave their approval.

Though the village code allows up to 60 square feet of wall signage per tenant in a multi-tenant building, Gerbers said the committee can allow more square footage for signage if deemed appropriate based on the building size and adjacent properties.