Plan Commission Special Meeting on Zoning Code Update – February 11, 2026
Plan Commission Special Meeting on Zoning Code Update – February 11, 2026
The Waukesha Plan Commission held a special meeting on February 11, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers to review the entire proposed Zoning Code update. Commissioners Joan Francoeur, Elizabeth Moltzan, Jack Wells, Shawn Reilly, R.G. Keller, Jennifer Wallner, and Heather Granger were present. The meeting focused on revisions made in response to prior feedback and allowed for further input on all chapters. No public comments were made at the start of the meeting, but two members of the public spoke later.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Frank Palm (Chicago Avenue resident) asked about historic buildings and nonconformities. He questioned whether a historic building must meet the new zoning code. Staff clarified that any addition to a nonconforming historic building must meet the code, but the existing building can remain as a nonconforming use.
- Lisa Sal (434 Medicine Street) raised several questions: she asked for definitions of "grubbing" and "collector street." She questioned the resubmission rule (Section 22.11.03 D) that requires a one-year wait after denial unless substantial changes are made; she asked who determines "substantial." She also asked about PUD amendments being treated as new applications, whether the old zoning code would be grandfathered (no, only nonconforming uses remain), and about building heights in RN3 (changed from 60 to 40 feet). She expressed concern about the footnote allowing increased height for affordable housing without a maximum. She requested time for the public to review the code before adoption and asked about the zoning map availability.
Discussion Items
- Zoning Districts (Chapter 2): Consultants presented revised names for residential neighborhood districts (RN1–RN4) to align with their purposes. RN1 targets large lots/low density, RN2 missing middle, RN3 smaller scale multi-unit, RN4 large multi-unit. Cottage court lot area in RN1 was increased from 24,000 sq ft to 1 acre, lot width from 80 to 100 feet. RN3 building height reduced from 60 to 40 feet. A new Environmental Sensitive Lands overlay district was created, and Planned Unit Development (PUD) overlay language was added.
- Use Standards (Chapter 3): Removed the word "family" from missing middle housing types to comply with the Fair Housing Act. Child daycare moved to accessory commercial use. Community living arrangements are now conditional uses in RN3 and RN4. Nursing homes, foster family care, parks, and other uses added to RN4. Food truck courts added as conditional use in mixed-use commercial districts. Garden centers removed as a standalone use (will be covered under general retail). Short-term rental regulations are still being developed.
- General Development Standards (Chapter 4): Removed screening requirements for loading areas (since no separate loading section exists). Removed all administrative adjustments (staff no longer has authority to grant exemptions; must go to Plan Commission). Added operational impact standards (e.g., decibel limits) from existing code.
- Building Design Standards (Chapter 5): Removed cladding color requirements and administrative adjustments for glazing and roofline articulation. Commissioner R.G. Keller raised concerns about subjective aesthetics (ugly buildings) and argued the Plan Commission must retain review authority. Staff noted that objective standards are legally defensible; projects adjacent to residential zones still come to the Plan Commission. Commissioner Joan Francoeur supported codifying existing practices to avoid wasted effort.
- Parking and Access Standards (Chapter 6): Revised driveway width regulations, combining RN1–RN4 into one category. Removed parking minimums for temporary uses. Renamed "administrative adjustments" to "allowable deviations" for parking only. Commissioner Jack Wells expressed concern about stacking multiple reductions (e.g., transit + shared use) potentially reducing parking to zero. The Commission directed staff to propose a maximum reduction percentage (e.g., 75%). Commissioner Mike noted car dealerships' complaints about excessive handicapped parking; staff explained that requirements are federal/state law.
- Landscape and Natural Resources (Chapter 7): Changes include: Plan Commission now reviews any deviations from landscape standards. Street tree requirement codified: one tree per 50 linear feet of frontage; for lots 5+ acres, one per 100 feet. A recommended tree list will be adopted separately. Wetland/surface water buffer standard retained (perennially vegetated strip). Snow storage areas must be identified in site plans. Commissioner Joe asked about tree cutting on single-family lots; staff confirmed that normal maintenance (e.g., removing old lilacs and replanting) is allowed. Clear-cutting restrictions apply to properties other than single-family/duplex.
- Sign Standards (Chapter 9): Added regulations for marquee, roof, and billboard signs. Only 10 billboard signs allowed citywide. Electronic display signs prohibited in residential, mixed-use, and downtown commercial districts; allowed in other districts with no percentage limit on monument or drive-through signs. Commissioner Joe questioned signs on vehicles parked >72 hours; staff explained it targets businesses using vehicles as extra signage. Commissioner Keller suggested testing sign standards against a large shopping center like Fox River.
- Nonconformities (Chapter 10): Removed historic building exemption; all buildings must follow code. Removed change-of-ownership/tenancy triggering compliance; nonconforming status continues. Commissioner Joe (Wells) confirmed that a change in tenancy does not force upgrades.
- Review and Decision-Making Procedures (Chapter 11): Removed administrative adjustment process and interpretation section. Added Site Plan and Architectural Review (SPAR) process with two tracks: administrative (staff-level) and Plan Commission. Temporary use permits and building permits will be non-SPAR. Public notice table now includes radius (300 feet from property boundary). Commissioner Joe (Wells) requested a provision allowing an alderman to request expanded notice radius for a specific project. Commissioner Keller warned against variable notice distances due to legal exposure; suggested instead using on-site signs. Staff agreed to consider the alderman request option. The one-year resubmission waiting period for denied applications was removed; staff determined the review fee is sufficient deterrent.
Key Outcomes
- Direction to Staff: Develop a maximum parking reduction percentage (e.g., 75%) for allowable deviations. Consider adding a provision for an alderman to request expanded public notice radius. Remove the one-year resubmission waiting period from the code. Include a maximum height limitation for the affordable housing bonus in RN3. Clarify the definition of "community development director or their designee." Test sign standards against a large shopping center. Add definitions for "grubbing" and "collector street." Continue work on short-term rental regulations.
- Next Steps: A public open house is scheduled for February 25, 2026, to present the full draft and zoning map. A subsequent Plan Commission meeting will review final changes before the code is sent to the Common Council for adoption. The public will have at least 30 days' notice before the council hearing.
Meeting Transcript
All right. 602. Okay, we'll call the Plan Commission meeting of Wednesday, February 11th. This is a special meeting to order. We're going to start with the Pledge of Allegiance. And Ray, right down here is going to help us. He's going to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. So whenever you're ready, you can start. And to the Republic for which we'll do the justice for all. I think Ray will go on attend every meeting now. Okay. Next item is roll call. President of the plan from the Planning Commission is Wells, Walner, Frank Core, Riley, Keller, and Molton. Den Edge there. Also, we do have members of the Common Council. Am I missing anyone? Okay. So we do have a quorum. I did say Piper. Yeah. The next item is public comment. We if anyone, if you want to make comments at this point, please come up to the microphone and provide your comments. We will allow comments during the meeting also. But if you need to get out of here, now would be the time to make your comment. Okay. Zoning code update. Review drafts of the entire proposed zoning code. Who's starting that? Sure. Okay, Charlie. So at this point, I think all of you know our consultants from House Hill Vien and Birch Line Planning. They're here to present mostly changes that have been made to the zoning code in responses to in response to comments from the plan commission, from council members, and from both planning and planning department staff and from city attorney's office. As you know, the we've the whole code has been presented in parts so far over the last year. And now we have the whole the entire thing. So they'll they'll be presenting that. It'll mostly again just be changes that have been made, but you will also have the opportunity to make comments on any part of the code. So ahead. All right. So since you all um know this is our last uh joint meeting uh to review all the major changes we have done so far uh since last couple of weeks um throughout the chapters. So the purpose of tonight's meeting is just go through all the all those um chapter revisions and uh that reflects the revision we have received from the city staff, um the city attorney, and all the feedbacks you uh from you since um last year. Um just quickly to go through what uh we have done so far. So we have gone through all the chapter um comments and also we are on a draft final um draft and a zoning code. Um at this point, we are almost about to end the code, but generally we include the subdivision standards as a part of the all the chapters, but um this is like a unique situation at this moment, so we are gonna include the subdivision standards later at the phase and just adopt the code. First, the the chapter one is general provisions. Uh we have not done any major changes to the chapters, so I'm just gonna skip over and move on to the next chapter. So the next chapter is zoning districts. So one of the major changes we have done is uh revising the names for base districts. Um re uh revise the name for residential neighborhood districts to make sure they kind of like more aligned towards their purpose uh from RN1, RN2, RN3, and RN4s. The RN1 is more towards um large lords and low density development. Uh R and two is more towards um the missing middle housing, RN3 is including like the smaller scale multi-unit and uh missing middle development.
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