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Distressed in the Dells

Activists say resort project will harm Wisconsin River natural area

Rob Zaleski  —  4/09/2008 3:43 pm

Hiroshi Kanno doesn't buy it -- not for a minute.

Contrary to what the developers of the proposed $160 million Grand Cambrian Resort on the lower dells of the Wisconsin River claim, Kanno says, there's just no way a massive condominium-hotel with two waterparks won't end up harming the river. Or, for that matter, the adjacent state natural area that's home to many rare plants and animals and a favorite habitat of the bald eagle.

"They're going to totally destroy that whole area," contends Kanno, the spokesperson for a group of activists who have filed two lawsuits to try to block the 112-acre project. "I mean, we're talking about a 323-unit condo complex and all the pavement that goes with that. The sheer size of this thing is incredible."

So, to put it mildly, Kanno was disappointed when the Department of Natural Resources announced on March 14 that it had approved a construction permit that will allow Cambrian Development LLC to proceed with the project. Having dealt with the DNR in the past -- he's a member of Concerned Citizens of Newport, which helped stop Perrier (now Nestle Waters North America) from building a $100 million bottling plant in Adams County -- Kanno knew it was highly unlikely the agency would tell the developers to, in effect, take a hike. But a part of him had remained hopeful -- especially after about 30 people testified against the project at a public hearing in Wisconsin Dells shortly before Christmas.

"I guess they try to follow the letter of law," Kanno says of the DNR, trying to be diplomatic. "But they never seem to look at the big picture."

In any event, Kanno notes that his group has 30 days to appeal the DNR's decision and is still weighing its options.

"We're not giving up, that's for sure," he says, pointing out that the developers still need a permit from the state Department of Commerce pertaining to storm water runoff. "It's just too precious a piece of land for us to do that."

To be sure, Kanno's disappointment was shared by numerous others -- including Debbie Kinder, president of the nonprofit Stewards of the Dells. (Kanno and his wife Arlene belong to that group as well.)

But Kinder was at least happy that the DNR placed some restrictions on the project. For instance, the development must be a minimum of 120 feet from the river and include a 75-foot no-disturbance zone highlighted by natural vegetation.

"They didn't just rubber stamp it and say, 'Do whatever you want,' " she says.

At the same time, Kinder wonders who's going to enforce those restrictions.

"I'm curious," she says, "because the DNR staff in the Dells area is very overworked. And adding this to their to-do list would be unreasonable, if not impossible."

Kinder notes that her group fought the project early on and even asked the Wisconsin Dells City Council -- of which she is a member -- to reconsider its approval of the project after the city annexed the property site.

When that effort failed, Stewards of the Dells shifted gears, she says, and decided that henceforth it would work with the Natural Heritage Land Trust to purchase available lands along the lower dells to make sure they don't fall into the hands of developers.

Still, while her group is no longer taking a public stance on the development, Kinder says she agrees with Kanno that it's far too large for such a small and vulnerable spot on the river.

"I mean, you can build a waterpark anywhere. We have a lot of them in the Dells, and we have some great ones," she says. "But the lower dells is very special, it's unique, and we have to protect that."

Kinder says that even with the restrictions the DNR has imposed, the project might endanger the adjacent state natural area. But even more troubling, she says, is that the top floors of the six-story resort will be visible from the river -- which, she muses, will be an unwelcome surprise for canoeists and other nature lovers who've long considered the lower dells the most beautiful stretch of the entire Wisconsin River.

"I've walked the resort site with the developer," Kinder says. "And just looking at the number and size of the trees that will be cut down ... I can't imagine the resort's going to be shielded by the remaining trees."

Kinder says there is one bit of positive news for people who treasure the lower dells: The village of Lake Delton recently purchased a parcel of land just upstream from the resort site and plans to turn it into a river park, complete with a boat launch.

"That's the really good news," she says. "But people will get in their boats, go down the river and bam! There will be this six-story condominium."

Contacted this week at his office in Lodi, Mac McDonald, the Grand Cambrian's managing partner, seemed irritated by any suggestion that the resort will have a negative impact on the surrounding environment and noted that the DNR is satisfied that the view from the river won't be marred to any great degree.

Granted, there won't be a "complete wall of trees," separating the resort from the water, he said.

"And when the wind blows in a certain direction, you might get a glimpse or two" of the resort, he acknowledged. But McDonald said he's spent a considerable amount of time and money researching the project to ensure that it's environmentally friendly and believes he's succeeded.

"This is," he declared, "the most scrutinized shoreline development the state's ever had."

Well, perhaps, Kanno says.

But he believes that most people who visit the resort site and see how large it is and how close it is to the river will side with the project's critics.

"There are some pieces of land that just shouldn't be developed," he says. "This is one of them."

Rob Zaleski  —  4/09/2008 3:43 pm