Janesville City Council to consider Rotary Botanical Gardens greenhouse proposal

JANESVILLE — The city council will be looking into Rotary Botanical Gardens’ request to build a 2,880-square-foot greenhouse near the existing Horticulture Center.

The council will hear more about the proposal Monday. The plan was previously referred to the Plan Commission, which voted unanimously to forward the rezoning request to the City Council with a favorable recommendation at its meeting June 17.

Rotary Gardens Interim Director Randy Hughes told The Gazette in May that a private donor is footing the cost of the greenhouse.

The city owns the Rotary Gardens property on Palmer Drive. Rotary Gardens has had a lease with the city since 1990, which is good through 2089.

The greenhouse, proposed to be built on 1.8 acres, was donated to the city in 2021 for future use by Rotary Botanical Gardens. The acreage consists of two wooded parcels that Rotary Gardens wants rezoned from residential use to conservancy use.

According to city documents, Rotary Gardens maintains the Horticulture Center and has several smaller greenhouses and storage areas around the city. Hughes said the new greenhouse is particularly needed to keep plants not native to Wisconsin safe from the elements in winter months.

“Utilizing city area greenhouses is a big help, but the travel between places is rough on the plants,” he said in May. “We want to reduce the wear and tear and also be able to care for them better.

Hughes said in May the new greenhouse has been on Rotary Gardens’ wish list for three years. Removal of trees and leveling the site, in preparation for the greenhouse construction, is already underway.