Plan Commission Meetings and Agendas

VILLAGE OF PEWAUKEE
PLAN COMMISSION MINUTES
JANUARY 14, 2021

1. Call to Order, Pledge of Allegiance, Moment of Silence and Roll Call

President Knutson called the meeting to order at approximately 7:02 p.m.
Roll Call was taken with the following Plan Commission members present: Comm. Jim Grabowski, Comm. Cheryl Mantz, Comm. Ryan Lange, Comm. Joe Zompa, Comm. Eric Rogers, Trustee Craig Roberts and President Jeff Knutson.
Also Present: Mary Censky, Village Planner; Mark Blum, Village Attorney; Scott Gosse, Village Administrator; Jackie Schuh, Deputy Clerk-Treasurer.

2. Public Hearings

a. To amend the current conditional use “cemetery per existing conditions” on the west side of Burroughs Drive at Evergreen Lane through the addition of a new accessory storage shed, 120 square feet in area, to be located at a setback less than the 50 feet typically required in the IPS Institutional and Public Service District. The applicant is Queen of Apostles Congregation.
None.

3. Citizen Comments

Cindy Hill @ 302 Sunset Dr - Ms. Hill submitted a document that is available to view in the Clerk’s Office. She highlighted concerns she has regarding the River Hills project discussed at last month’s meeting. She believes sidewalks are necessary for safe foot traffic, a four-way stop should be created at Sunset and Ridgeway and a three-way stop at both Ridgeway & Riverside and a four-way at Ridgeway & Sunset. She urged the Commission to reduce the number of homes and increase the lot sizes to maximize green space and to exclude out-lots three and four as part of the density calculations as they are not buildable. She would also like to see conceptual drawings of the proposed homes.

4. Approval of the Minutes:

a. Regular Plan Commission Meeting – December 10, 2020
The minutes were inadvertently excluded from the physical packet sent to the Commission.
Comm. Grabowski motioned, seconded by Comm. Rogers to table the approval of the December 10, 2020 minutes of the regular Plan Commission meeting until the February 11, 2021 meeting.
Motion carried by roll call vote 7-0.

5. Old Business  -  Items 5(a) through 6(a) were presented but not necessarily in order.

a. Review, discussion and feedback to staff regarding portions of the Village of Pewaukee Comprehensive Plan update in progress – i.e. Chapter 7-Land Use. There may also be discussion regarding the relationship(s)/connectivity of the material in these chapters to the recently completed Village of Pewaukee Strategic Plan Update.
Planner Censky, Trustee Roberts and Comm. Zompa led the Commission through discussions on three areas of the Comprehensive Plan update in regards to Land Use.
1. Westfield Way at Cecelia Drive: The Commission agreed that this property is unique in the sense that it is owned by the Village of Pewaukee and shares a common lot line with the Simmons Woods Park. It is currently zoned R-6 Plex Residential. Possible ideas favored for the location included a park-type use such as dog park, playground, open space and/or a Community or Senior Center. General consensus was that no multi-plex housing is wanted. Questions arose regarding rezoning at this time to P-1 Park and Recreation District with a Land Use of Park and Open Space. Planner Censky cautioned that if rezoned as such it is usually difficult to change back based on neighborhood expectations. The Commission agreed to leave it unchanged at this time and research ideas/get input from Park and Rec and also find out the value of the land in the current market.
2. Oakton Avenue Gateway from the Railroad Tracks to Hwy. 16: Planner Censky stated that the mixed zoning in this area creates some confusion. Three items to be addressed include an area of light industrial, one of B-2 Business District and one lot of R-5 Residential. Much discussion occurred regarding the vision the Commission has for the gateway that leads to the downtown. They would like to see more multi-use options with window shops, cafes or the like. They feel this will draw people to their community as a destination. They agreed that some of the buildings need rehabilitation and/or updates but changing the underlying zoning could be a problem for current owners. Response was favorable for possible talks with some property owners to determine their long-term plans which will help guide a decision. Consensus was to ultimately move light industrial to B-2 Business District as business transitions occur, current B-2 to remain B-2 and the one lot zoned R-5 will be left out of this strategic area and remain as R-5.
3. Gateway to Downtown - Oakton Avenue from Pewaukee River to Railroad Tracks: Planner Censky reviewed parts of lots surrounding the Village Hall that need to be addressed. One is the narrow lot east of the building and one is the public parking lot west of the Village Hall. Both are zoned B-2 Business District but should likely be IPS per Censky. The Commission was in agreement with the change. Discussion followed regarding the vision they have for a more multi-use development of this area. They would like to see more retail and specialty uses with owner-occupied living space above. Like item 2 above, things discussed included things like offices, retail shops, coffee shops and cafes.
The remainder of the items to be discussed at the next meeting include the Downtown Village Center, Trackside (South) at Capitol Drive/Oakton Ave. and Clark St., W. Wisconsin Ave. between High St. and Quinlan Dr., Farmland on both sides of Sussex St. at Ole Dairy Road and Riverside Dr at Ridgeway Dr.

6. New Business

a. Discussion on application to amend the current conditional use “cemetery per existing conditions” on the west side of Burroughs Drive at Evergreen Lane through the addition of a new accessory storage shed, 120 square feet in area, to be located at a setback less than the 50 feet typically required in the IPS Institutional and Public Service District. The applicant is Queen of Apostles Congregation. NO ACTION WILL BE TAKEN AT THIS MEETING
Planner Mary Censky explained that the accessory garden storage shed proposed by the applicant will be 120 sq. ft. in area and 8 ft. tall and sit on a 12x14 ft. cement pad. Materials include wood siding and asphalt shingles and a door that faces west. The shed is proposed to be at a 15 ft. setback from the property’s existing lot line along Evergreen Lane at Burroughs Drive. Current code calls for 50 ft. setback in the IPS District. Per applicant this is the only suitable location so it is accessible and does not sit atop any known burials at the cemetery. Although the applicant’s preferred setback is 15 ft., an alternative of a 20 ft. setback is presented in the case that the electric lines buried there would not be abandoned at this time per WE Energies. Planner Censky would recommend the placement of screening in the form of shrubs where the shed faces residential homes. Discussion followed. Attorney Blum confirmed that the provisions of a storage shed were included in the negotiations/written offer associated with this property. Discussion followed and the Commission overall responded favorably to the details.
NO ACTION WAS TAKEN AT THIS MEETING.

7. Citizen Comments

Michael Heise @ W277N2563 Rocky Point - Mr. Heise stated he owns several properties in the Village and is interested in developing them. He would like to sit down with the Village to discuss ideas for redevelopment.

8. Adjournment

Comm. Rogers moved, seconded by Comm. Grabowski to adjourn the January 14, 2021 regular Plan Commission meeting at approximately 9:22 p.m.
Motion carried by roll call vote 7-0.

Respectfully submitted,

Jackie Schuh
Deputy Clerk-Treasurer