The Wausau Infrastructure and Facilities Committee voted to vacate a portion of the 20 Eighth Avenue corridor right-of-way and to remove the corresponding parcels from the city’s official map during its October 2025 meeting, city staff said.

City staff said the parcels in question were purchased and dedicated as right-of-way by Marathon County years earlier. “Since the city’s not going to pursue that corridor anymore to rebuild 20 Eighth Avenue, the county has asked that we vacate this right-of-way,” Alan, city staff, told the committee. If the council completes the vacation, Alan said, the land would revert to Marathon County and the county has told the city it would likely sell the parcels afterward.

The vacating motion passed on a motion recorded as from Alder Veil, seconded by Alder Larson; the committee then voted to remove the parcels from the official city map on a subsequent motion (second recorded from Alder Neal). Both actions passed without recorded opposition.

Why it matters: removing the official-city-map designation lifts a restriction that can block property owners from obtaining building permits or making improvements where a mapped future roadway exists. Alan told the committee the official map primarily prevents new structures in areas where a municipality or county expects to build or widen a roadway. Removing the mapping, staff said, would allow property owners to seek permits that had been flagged because of the mapped corridor.

Public comments focused on property ownership and access. Roger Henke, who identified himself as a resident at 2803 Apple Lane in the Village of Maine, said he believed portions of his property had been treated as if they were in a mapped corridor but that he had never been paid for land. “I was never paid for any of that land,” Henke said, adding he was unsure which agency to contact about county-held parcels. Karen Singh, who said she lives at 5177 North 20 Eighth Ave, asked staff to confirm whether work on the existing 20 Eighth Avenue would now be limited to an overlay rather than a full rebuild; staff later told the committee the current budget proposes an overlay for 2026.

City staff described how the city would handle any sale of parcels if the county conveys them to the city: a minimum price would be set, properties would be offered for public bid, bids would be opened at the Board of Public Works and then reviewed by finance and ultimately the city council, Alan said. Alan also told residents he would help them contact county officials about how Marathon County disposes of land; staff provided the name of the county highway office contact as Marathon County Highway Commissioner Kevin Lang.

What’s next: The committee’s votes forward the vacation and map amendment for further action consistent with city procedures; if the vacation proceeds all the way through council and the parcels return to Marathon County, the county will determine how to dispose of the land. Staff said they do not yet know the county’s sale process or timetable.