Altoona (WI) Plan Commission Meeting - April 14, 2026

The Plan Commission met Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at Altoona City Hall. Mayor Brendan Pratt and members Sue Roll, Nicholas Hog, Matthew Beeron, and Bill Hepner were present; Ryan Looney and Dean Roth were absent. Planning Director Taylor Greenwald and City Clerk Cindy Bauer were also present. The commission held a public hearing, recommended approval of a Comprehensive Plan amendment, recommended approval of amendments to Title 19, and handled routine business.

Consent Calendar

• The commission unanimously approved the minutes of the March 10, 2026, regular Plan Commission meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No citizens spoke during the citizens participation period, and no public testimony was recorded during the 5:30 p.m. public hearing.

Comprehensive Plan Amendment: 311 US Highway 12 (Hoss Bros., LLC)

• The applicant, listed on the agenda as Hoss Bros., LLC and referred to in the transcript as Haas Brothers LLC, petitioned to amend the 2022 Comprehensive Plan's future land use map for Parcel #1820122709254200004, a 0.72-acre vacant parcel located off 311 US Highway 12 and currently zoned R1 (single-family residential).
• The proposal is to construct a commercial/office-warehouse building with office/storage space and fenced storage. The parcel is near Prairie View Ridge and commercial/multifamily uses, with Perseverance Park further east.
• The current future land use designation is 'mid-scale neighborhood,' intended for multifamily residential uses with compatible R2/R3 zoning. The applicant requested a change to 'planned mixed use,' which supports commercial uses along Highway 12/Highway 53 and would enable a future rezone to the commercial district.
• Planning Director Taylor Greenwald noted the proposal had previously been discussed, with supportive consensus from the Plan Commission and support from the Common Council. He also explained that staff recommended denial because nothing had substantially changed on the planning and zoning side since the earlier discussion; the ordinance requires amendments to be generally consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.
• Several commissioners noted the parcel sits between commercial and multifamily uses at the edge of the city on a major highway and viewed the proposed building as a good fit for a local business. Commissioner Sue Roll raised concerns about truck/equipment storage and traffic impacts. Staff clarified the item was not site plan approval, and future steps would include a rezone, a CSM to consolidate parcels, and site plan review. The applicant's timeline was described as the next two to four years.
• The commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the Comprehensive Plan amendment to the Common Council.

Title 19 Zoning and Subdivisions Code Amendments

• Planning Director Greenwald presented a package of amendments to Title 19, developed after applying the new zoning ordinance adopted by the Common Council on March 10, 2026. The redlined packet totaled roughly one and a half pages of actual code changes.
• The largest revision would replace primary/secondary private drive requirements with a base private drive standard: a 22-foot drive surface meeting fire and accessibility requirements, six-inch curb and gutter, a five-foot sidewalk, and a five-foot park strip where no sidewalk or pedestrian way exists. The stated goals were safety, durability, appearance, and avoiding future city maintenance of private drives.
• Other adjustments included ensuring all residential uses are allowed in the neighborhood mixed-use district, adding a minimum width for twin-home lots, adjusting when site plan reviews apply, increasing the accessory structure threshold for building permits, and dialing back material percentage/variability standards in larger subdivisions while preserving design goals.
• Staff noted the DNR is reviewing environmental ordinance changes that would be relocated to Title 18 and brought back later.
• The commission unanimously voted to recommend the Title 19 amendments to the Common Council.

Miscellaneous Business & Communications

• A commissioner asked about a contractor's statement that a deck permit would require a $1,500 plan under the new ordinance. Planning Director Greenwald said the city does not require an engineered or formally drawn site plan for a deck; a simple drawing showing setbacks is sufficient, while building code structural items are handled separately. He offered to discuss the matter with the contractor, Ryan at Rock and Tate, and said any missed code issue could be brought to a future Plan Commission meeting.
• Greenwald also noted a Saturday meeting with the school district was productive, and a new parks plan process is expected to begin later this year. State code requires a parks plan update every five years, while the Comprehensive Plan update is not due until 2032.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the March 10, 2026 Plan Commission minutes unanimously.
• Recommended approval to the Common Council of the Comprehensive Plan amendment for 311 US Highway 12 (Parcel #1820122709254200004) by unanimous vote.
• Recommended approval to the Common Council of the Title 19 zoning and subdivisions code amendments by unanimous vote.
• Adjourned at approximately 5:58 p.m. by unanimous consent.