Planning staff presented an update Tuesday on a multi-year rewrite of the city zoning code that would reduce the current nine residential zoning districts to four, create a mixed-use commercial district, and aim to resolve thousands of existing nonconforming parcels.

Charley Griffith of the Planning Department said the last major code update was in 2001 and that the existing structure leaves large portions of Waukesha out of compliance. He said the consultant’s analysis "found that a total of 3,441 properties don't meet the lot width requirements and 5,673 don't meet the lot area requirements" within five examined districts, a finding staff said drives much of the proposed simplification.

Why it matters: Staff and the consultant told the council the current code’s complexity and nonconformities create uncertainty and transaction costs for homeowners and developers. Officials said the rewrite is intended to make the code more predictable and to better implement the city’s 2024 comprehensive plan.

What’s proposed: The draft replaces multiple similarly configured single-family districts with four residential neighborhood categories (Residential Neighborhood 1–4) that range from larger-lot single-family neighborhoods to central-city multifamily areas. The rewrite also proposes a mixed-use commercial district along arterial corridors to permit neighborhood businesses and residential uses in the same zones.

Process and timeline: Staff said district standards and use standards were developed earlier this year and that building-design, development-standards, access-and-mobility and landscaping standards will be presented at a joint Plan Commission/Council meeting on Oct. 29. Staff expects to present procedures and planned-development standards in December and anticipates a council vote on the full code in late winter 2026.

Council members asked about effects on historic properties and development feasibility. Planning staff said existing historic-designation overlays and Landmarks Commission requirements would remain in force and that the rewrite seeks to make the code less restrictive where appropriate, not more so.

Next steps: A joint Plan Commission and council meeting is scheduled Oct. 29 for design and development standards; staff invited council members and the public to attend and provide comment.