The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has put construction of the proposed 18-hole golf course in Sheboygan, Wis., on hold as it reviews its decision to grant the developer a wetlands permit. In April 2017, the golf course was expected to be complete by 2020, but the controversial project has been slowed by frequent legal hurdles due to environmental concerns.
Construction of the proposed Kohler Co. golf course has been put on hold by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) until a review of the wetlands permit has been made, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Last week, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin reported that the environmental group Friends of the Black River Forest (FBRF) filed a Request for Contested Case Hearing with the DNR. The petition asks the DNR to review its decision to grant Kohler a wetlands permit, the Journal Sentinel reported.
C&RB reported on March 1 that a land swap that would include land in the Kohler-Andrea State Park in Sheboygan, Wis., for a planned 18-hole luxury golf course had been approved. C&RB has reported extensively on the project and its ups and downs. In April 2017, the golf course was projected to be complete in 2020.
According to a March 19 letter from the DNR to FBRF’s attorneys, the DNR has found that there is sufficient evidence to grant FBRF a hearing. FBRF will have the opportunity to convince the DNR to reverse its decision to grant Kohler a wetlands permit, the Journal Sentinel reported.
The DNR will also look to see if they had enough evidence from Kohler to grant the permit and whether the public had enough evidence to comment on the wetlands permit, the Journal Sentinel reported.
The DNR has granted a stay on the project until a decision is made. This means no construction can begin or continue on the proposed golf course site until the hearing examiner determines that the stay is not necessary or a decision is made on the permit, the Journal Sentinel reported.
As previously reported, the FBRF allege that the DNR was not thorough enough in its review when deciding to grant Kohler a wetlands permit. The DNR issued an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) back in January that stated 50 percent of the trees on the 247 acre Kohler-owned property would also be eradicated if the project goes through, the Journal Sentinel reported.
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