Historic Claflin House owner seeks rezoning of 3 lots to 'better serve' Stevens Point neighborhood
STEVENS POINT − The future of one of Stevens Point’s most prominent historic homes and two nearby properties at the corner of Main and Division streets will be discussed during Monday’s Plan Commission meeting.
William Schierl, of Stevens Point, who owns the Claflin House at 1665 Main St. as well as neighboring properties at 1641 and 1649 Main St., is asking the Plan Commission to allow for rezoning of the properties from a “multi-family” residential district to a “single- and two-family” residential district, according to city documents.
The Claflin House, built in 1875 for Price Claflin, had historically been used as a rooming house until it was renovated from apartments to a single-family home and converted into a short-term rental in 2019.
Schierl said if the rezoning is approved, he would be looking to sell the Claflin House as a single-family home, according to his application.
Schierl also intends to combine the properties at 1641 and 1649 Main St. and move an existing duplex from 1656 Main St. to the combined lot, if the rezoning requests for those properties are approved. Schierl also owns the property where the duplex currently stands.
The existing residences at 1641 and 1649 Main St. would either be razed or moved, according to city documents.
“We are looking to better match this properties’ zoning with the larger neighborhood and to avoid the possibility of future multi-family housing beyond a duplex,” Schierl wrote in his application. The project would help “to move this corridor to reflect a strong residential area of the community rather than commercial multi-family.”
The city documents do not include information about Schierl’s plan for the property at 1656 Main St., if the current duplex is relocated.
The Plan Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the Community Room at 933 Michigan Ave. and a public hearing will be held on the land use designation and each of the rezoning requests.
City staff recommended approval of the project, stating in their report that it was consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan and that most parcels within the block have a “residential” designation. Staff also wrote that they believe “the proposed zoning district better serves the city block as being a transition between high-intensity residential uses to the west with low-intensity residential uses to the east,” according to city documents.
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Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA-TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Reach him at epfantz@gannett.com or connect with him on X (formerly Twitter) @ErikPfantz.
This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Stevens Point: Claflin House owner seeks rezoning of 3 properties
