A proposal allowing limited access to artist Mary Nohl's home in Fox Point has narrowly advanced
A proposal allowing limited access to the home of the late artist Mary Nohl narrowly passed the Fox Point Planning Commission on Monday evening and will be reviewed by the village board later this spring.
The proposal passed 3-2, with members Russell Yale and Robert Smith opposing due to concerns about the number of people visiting the property. Village President Doug Frazer and Village Trustee Eric Fonstad recused themselves from the vote because they're also on the village board.
"You'll never get perfection, but you don't let perfection get in the way of process," said member William Langhoff, who voted in favor of the proposal.
The Mary Nohl home, at 7254 and 7328 North Beach Drive in Fox Point, is lined with sculptures and paintings. After 2001, Kohler Foundation Inc. took over stewardship of the home.
Stewards of the home, Creation & Preservation Partners, as part of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, are asking the village for a zoning change that allows for a limited number of research groups and artists to visit the home, and to build an auxiliary building in the lot adjacent to the property.
The recommendation comes after an ongoing fight from Fox Point neighbors to shut down the proposal because they believe it'd disrupt the quiet atmosphere of the street.
The village stopped taking comments from the public on Feb. 20, but that didn't stop four residents from criticizing the proposal while planning commission members discussed it during Monday's meeting. "I'm sorry it's out of order, but this is my life," said Beach Drive resident Mark Levin.
It's estimated the board will take up the proposal at a meeting no sooner than April, said Village Manager Scott Botcher.
Arts center revises plan after ongoing backlash from neighbors
After receiving criticism from Fox Point neighbors last month, the center revised its proposal. Changes include shrinking the number of people allowed at the property during two special events per year from 80 attendees to 60, including catering staff.
The center also slimmed down the size of the auxiliary building from 4,000 square feet to 3,000 square feet.
According to the updated proposal, the center is also planning on paying the village and school district share of property taxes, where previously it had only agreed to pay the village share.
"The revised cultural overlay request was reached as a reasonable compromise with Beach Drive neighbors and provides certainty for the Mary Nohl House and for the community," said Amy Horst, director at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
Like the original proposal, the home will not be open to the general public, only by invitation. Visitors will not be allowed to park on Beach Drive.
Following the revisions of the proposal, attorney John Wirth, who represents a group against the proposal called Save the Beach Drive Neighborhood Association, agreed to support the plan. The residents at Monday's meeting disagreed with Wirth's assessment.
RELATED:2023 Nohl Fellowship winners include Mikal Floyd-Pruitt, Janelle VanderKelen
Contact Alex Groth at agroth@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @grothalexandria.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Fox Point officials recommend Kohler proposal for Mary Nohl home
