Proposed restaurant would be located next to Kwik Trip

BY KEVIN BONESKE

REPORTER/PHOTOGRAPHER

Initial steps to build a new Pizza Ranch restaurant in Rhinelander received the backing Tuesday of the city’s Planning Commission.

Commission members voted in favor of a certified survey map for splitting property on Eisenhower Parkway owned by Kwik Trip to have two other parcels, so that the property to the south of the existing gas station could be developed. They also backed a site plan for TDI Associates, Inc. for the future development of a Pizza Ranch franchise south of Kwik Trip.

City building inspector/fire chief Terry Williams noted the restaurant and the gas station would be able to share a driveway connected to Eisenhower Parkway, while another driveway could be constructed on the south end of where the Pizza Ranch franchise would be located.

“You can see that there will be a shared access point, which is straight across from the Walmart access and is currently there now for Kwik Trip,” Williams said. “You can see where Pizza Ranch has laid out their property…. On the bottom of Pizza Ranch, they’re also looking to put in another access off of Eisenhower, so that it can be used by Pizza Ranch and/or shared by a future development on the leftover remaining parcel.”

Williams said he has worked with Pizza Ranch’s engineer to “tweak” a “couple of really minor things.”

“I talked with (city public works director) Tim Kingman (on Tuesday), and really my concern for public works at this point was that extra access,” Williams said. “(Kingman) didn’t have any issues with that. Certainly sewer and water issues (are something) that he’ll be able to look at with a full set of plans when they’re developed before we issue any building permit.”

Williams said the proposed site plan, which calls for parking to the west, east and south of the building with a total of 83 stalls, meets the city’s ordinance and zoning.