West Allis haunted house nightmare; city addresses complaint
WEST ALLIS, Wis. - Toil and trouble. It could be the nail in the coffin for a West Allis haunted house.
A maze of terrifying twists and turns sits at the corner of 98th and Montana in West Allis.
From decorating the yard in 2012, to now a homemade house of horrors, you will find the Novak Manor.
"It’s become a local staple for people," said Patty Novak.
More than 9,000 people come through Adam and Patty Novak's yard every year.
In January, they filed a permit with West Allis and it was granted. On Monday, the nightmare came to their front door.
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"We got news yesterday that we are in violation of a code of allowing people to come on to our property," Patty Novak said.
Adam and Patty Novak
This week, the mayor's office got a complaint about people being in the yard. They did not want to go on camera.
Earlier this year, the city said the permit approved people to view the display. However, since the Novak's home is residentially zoned, the city said they cannot entertain people in their yard.
"We thought we were doing everything correctly," Patty Novak said.
The Novaks said it is more than just decorations. They donate everything to the Bikers Advocating Child Safety to support child abuse survivors.
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"It’s devastating there’s no words that can describe," said Adam Novak.
The city said they will not shut it down this year. But it is the future that haunts the Novaks.
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"It’s so hard to know we are taking away kids first haunt experiences," Patty Novak said.
City of West Allis statement
"In January 2023, Novak Manor applied for, and the City granted, a Special Event Permit for Novak Manor to operate a Charity Haunt, allowing people to view the Halloween display from the public right-of-way.
"On October 15, 2023, the City of West Allis received a complaint regarding the impact of Novak Manor’s home haunt, calling attention to the fact that Novak Manor was allowing visitors to enter the property and structure.
"The special event permit that was granted, however, is to allow visitors to block the right-of-way; it does not allow visitors to enter the property or enter structures on the property due to the residential zoning code.
"The property owners have been informed about what the special event permit and zoning regulations allow and exclude. In an effort to balance community support for this event with the code requirements, the City will not take enforcement action for the remainder of the 2023 event season.
"The City of West Allis appreciates all the work the Novak family has done within the community, raising funds for charity while providing low-cost fall entertainment for the residents of West Allis and beyond.
"After the season completes, the City looks forward to continuing to work with the property owners to find ways to keep Novak Manor in the community for years to come."