Waukesha landmarks ordinance rewrite would let commission set conditions, timelines; public raises concerns

The City of Waukesha Landmarks Commission on Oct. 1 reviewed a staff-drafted rewrite of Chapter 28 of the city ordinances that would formalize application requirements, allow the commission to impose conditions and time limits on approvals, and add a written appeals procedure. The discussion came during the commission’s regular meeting and followed a public comment from a former commission chair who urged caution about some proposed changes.

The draft ordinance would add language requiring staff to provide application materials and establish fees, allow the commission to impose conditions to ensure work is consistent with design guidelines, and permit deadlines of not less than 90 days for corrective work when work has begun without a certificate of appropriateness or is inconsistent with an approved certificate. Charlie, a Department of Community Development staff member, told commissioners the plan is to present the ordinance to the Planning Commission in October and to the Common Council for review in November and December.

The changes matter because they would give the Landmarks Commission explicit enforcement tools it currently lacks. "Some of you might remember we had an applicant a couple years ago that did work without approval… the Landmarks Commission gave them a deadline to get it done. They didn't meet the…