March 28, 2025

Tricia Oak

Business & Finance Excellency

Judge declines to bar Madison from opening homeless shelter at former business | Crime

Judge declines to bar Madison from opening homeless shelter at former business | Crime

Bailey-Rihn agreed with the city’s interpretation.

“I think it’s very clear at least in this court’s mind that the property has been used as a Gander Mountain” for more than five years, she said, “so it doesn’t need Design Committee approval.”

But, she added, the city concedes that alterations to the building will require the Design Committee approval, which the city’s lawyer, John Laubmeier, said in court that the city would seek.

With that, Bailey-Rihn ruled Moving to the Music is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its case, one of the requirements necessary to get a ruling temporarily blocking the city from using the building as a homeless shelter.

McLeod declined to comment after the hearing.

“I think the judge’s ruling speaks for itself,” he said.