Town of Germantown

Planning Commission Meeting

MINUTES

Town of Germantown Town Hall
N7560 17th Avenue
New Lisbon, WI 53950
October 10, 2018
5:30 p.m.

Present: Chair Shannon Vogele, Members Paul Szymaszek, Keith Korbein, Ken Jax, Dave Specht, town Attorney Bill Curran, town Engineer Larry Koopman, Zoning Administrator Dick Martin, Administrative Assistant Linda Salzwedel

Absent: None

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at the Germantown Town Hall at 5:30 p.m.

Possible Approval of the July 25, 2018 meeting minutes

A motion was made by Keith Korbein, seconded by Ken Jax to approve the minutes from the July 25, 2018 Plan Commission meeting. Motion carried, 5-0.

Preliminary plat for Island Bay at Castle Rock Lake subdivision.

There was discussion about changes in shoreland regulations. The state has taken over control of regulating shorelands. Rules that we had about setbacks from the water’s edge and building setbacks are now pre-empted by the state. This allows for smaller site widths and smaller density. We still can enforce whether it’s and ARO or PUD, but we cannot be more restrictive than the state in those two areas. If the town wants SOME control over zoning of the area, it can choose PUD over ARO. They can’t make a dimension restriction but can enforce other restrictions. Town Engineer Larry Koopman reviewed the plats and said they are all within the standards. The 50’ setback from the road is because of the new rules.

Brad Pavloski was asked if the proposed use of the land is single family residential and he replied that it is. He said the land is not already subject to any restrictions or covenants. It was asked how the land is zoned now, and Chair Shannon Vogele replied that it is zoned ARO. Whether the land is PUD or ARO, Larry Koopman says they will still need a conditional use permit. The ordinance says there has to be conditional use if in ARO or go through the PUD process.

A motion was made by Ken Jax, seconded by Dave Specht, to recommend to the town board the approval of the Preliminary Plat for Island Bay at Castle Rock Lake subdivision. Motion carried 5-0.

Zoning Ordinance

Discussion about what/where in the zoning ordinance they need to change to comply to NR15. and if it would be advantageous to combine the Zoning, Land Use and Subdivision ordinances. There was much discussion about streamlining the ordinance so it’s easier to understand and easier to follow. We will post meetings that are working sessions only, where no decisions will be made and nothing else in the meeting, so they can focus and get the work done.

Public Comment

Diane Dendy says she is going to research ARO’s and PUD’s and become more educated so that she can understand everything better. She was directed to the town website to view the existing ordinances. She doesn’t think it is right that they were told one thing when they built, and new people have different rules.

Joe Cavallaro says he and the adjacent property owners reluctantly support the single-family homes, because of the NR15. He suggests a 180-day moratorium, so we can dig through everything in the past to make sure they are all cohesive. So, we should use the latitude and authority to see what makes sense for the overall township. He says Kay at DNR would be a good resource for us. He says put together a working group from reps from different boards, to work through a lot of that with a consultant. He thinks we should strongly consider this. He also said there are currently no deed restrictions and we should have asked him if there are future plans for changes in the deed.

Another townsperson thinks our taxes should be reduced.

Commission Member Comments

None

Next Meeting

November 14, 2018

Adjourn

A motion was made by Ken Jax, seconded by Keith Korbein, to adjourn at 7:00pm. Motion carried.

Respectfully Submitted,

Linda Salzwedel, Administrative Assistant