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Record of Proceedings

Plan Commission Meeting - May 18, 2026

Meeting Portal — Monday, May 18, 2026
BodyJanesville, Wisconsin
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, May 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 19:39

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0:00

Right.

0:00

Okay.

0:01

All right.

0:03

Good evening.

0:04

I'd like to call the Plan Commission meeting to order on Monday, May 18th, 2026.

0:09

First item on the agenda is roll call.

0:12

Commissioner here.

0:13

Commissioner Bowerman.

0:15

Commissioner Don Guerra.

0:16

Here.

0:16

Commissioner Cass.

0:18

Here.

0:18

Commissioner Bosco.

0:19

Here.

0:20

Commissioner Madare.

0:21

Here.

0:22

Commissioner Right.

0:23

Here.

0:27

And I believe at this point, the uh next item on the Plan Commission agenda involves the nomination and election of a Plan Commission chair and vice chair.

0:40

And so at this time, uh it would be appropriate for the Plan Commission to make a nomination or nominations of a chairperson for the next calendar year.

0:56

Commissioner Madare.

0:58

I would like to nominate uh Miss Vascu as chairperson.

1:02

Second.

1:04

Are there any other nominations?

1:07

I would move that the nominations be closed.

1:14

Closed.

1:15

Commission agrees.

1:17

Okay.

1:18

We have a motion and a second to nominate Commissioner Vosco for the Plan Commission Chair.

1:26

I'll go through the role.

1:28

Commissioner Nino.

1:30

Aye.

1:30

Commissioner Bowerman is absent.

1:32

Commissioner Don Guerra.

1:33

Yes.

1:34

Commissioner Cass.

1:35

Yes.

1:36

Commissioner Madare?

1:38

Yes.

1:38

And Commissioner Williams.

1:40

Yes.

1:40

Motion carries.

1:42

Unanimously.

1:43

I just want to say it came up for me.

1:47

No.

1:48

No.

1:48

Didn't come up for everyone.

1:49

Thank you for the advantage.

1:51

That's because I had a whole year without it.

1:52

So we can try it on the next one.

1:55

At this time, I I think I can turn it back over to the uh newly elected chair for the vice chairperson nomination and election.

2:05

Uh well, I think uh unless you would like me to roll three.

2:08

I would just go with it.

2:09

Okay.

2:10

Thank you.

2:11

Similarly, uh would the commission like to nominate uh a candidate for vice chair person on the plan commission.

2:23

We've got a roll down here too.

2:24

What's that?

2:25

You're on a roll two.

2:30

I would uh move that uh Mr.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████48%
Affordable Housing███████████████████████24%
Procedural███████████12%
Community Engagement█████████10%
Personnel Matters██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Plan Commission Meeting - May 18, 2026

The Janesville Plan Commission met on Monday, May 18, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included the election of a new chair and vice chair, approval of minutes, a public hearing and vote on a rezoning request, and a director's report on an upcoming zoning code rewrite open house.

Consent Calendar

  • The minutes of the May 4, 2026 regular meeting and the May 6, 2026 special meeting were approved unanimously without discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Mary Allen (property owner, 208 North Willard Avenue, Janesville) spoke in support of her rezoning request for 265 E Memorial Drive from M1 (Light Industrial) to R1 (Single-Family and Two-Family Residence). She stated she is selling the property and noted it is difficult to obtain a mortgage for an M1 property. She also mentioned she had understood the city intended to rezone the area earlier in the year, but that had not occurred, prompting her request.

Discussion Items

  • Election of Chair and Vice Chair: Commissioner Madare nominated Commissioner Vosco as chair (seconded and carried unanimously). Commissioner Madare then nominated Commissioner Paul Williams as vice chair (seconded by Commissioner Don Guerra, carried unanimously).
  • Rezoning of 265 E Memorial Drive (File Ordinance No. 2026-934): Planner Trey Meyer presented the staff recommendation. The property, historically used as a single-family home with a demolished commercial structure, is zoned M1 but surrounded by a mix of land uses. The Comprehensive Plan designates the area as planned mixed-use, but staff found the rezoning consistent with established plans, noting neighboring properties to the southeast are low-density residential. Staff recommended forwarding the request to city council with a favorable recommendation. Commissioner Williams moved to forward the rezoning with a favorable recommendation; seconded by Commissioner Madere. The motion passed unanimously. Commissioner Williams clarified the rezoning is separate from a pending code-related foundation removal issue, which the building division is handling.
  • Director's Report: Director Dwayne reported that a public open house for the zoning code rewrite draft will be held on June 18, 2026, from 5:30-7:00 PM at the Hedberg Public Library. He advised that advertising and materials are being prepared, and asked commission members for input on outreach and event format. Commissioner Vosco requested a detailed run-of-show update after the next meeting.
  • Commission Announcements: Commissioner Nino highlighted a New York Times editorial on housing affordability and zoning, noting that Janesville's efforts align with its recommendations. He mentioned incentives for subsidized housing as a novel approach. Commissioner Cass referenced a Forward Janesville presentation and a Sunday morning show on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in California.

Key Outcomes

  • Commission Chair and Vice Chair Elected: Commissioner Vosco as Chair and Commissioner Williams as Vice Chair for the next calendar year.
  • Rezoning Favorably Recommended to City Council: The Plan Commission unanimously voted to forward the rezoning of 265 E Memorial Drive from M1 to R1 to the City Council with a favorable recommendation. The item will be heard by the City Council on June 8, 2026.
  • Upcoming Open House: Scheduled for June 18, 2026, for public input on the zoning code rewrite.

Meeting Transcript

Right. Okay. All right. Good evening. I'd like to call the Plan Commission meeting to order on Monday, May 18th, 2026. First item on the agenda is roll call. Commissioner here. Commissioner Bowerman. Commissioner Don Guerra. Here. Commissioner Cass. Here. Commissioner Bosco. Here. Commissioner Madare. Here. Commissioner Right. Here. And I believe at this point, the uh next item on the Plan Commission agenda involves the nomination and election of a Plan Commission chair and vice chair. And so at this time, uh it would be appropriate for the Plan Commission to make a nomination or nominations of a chairperson for the next calendar year. Commissioner Madare. I would like to nominate uh Miss Vascu as chairperson. Second. Are there any other nominations? I would move that the nominations be closed. Closed. Commission agrees. Okay. We have a motion and a second to nominate Commissioner Vosco for the Plan Commission Chair. I'll go through the role. Commissioner Nino. Aye. Commissioner Bowerman is absent. Commissioner Don Guerra. Yes. Commissioner Cass. Yes. Commissioner Madare? Yes. And Commissioner Williams. Yes. Motion carries. Unanimously. I just want to say it came up for me. No. No. Didn't come up for everyone. Thank you for the advantage. That's because I had a whole year without it. So we can try it on the next one.

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