The village Economic Development Committee voted Oct. 1 to assign two members to start an economic development commission master plan and to review countywide zoning work that could inform local ordinance updates.

The committee approved a motion to assign Jeff Albrecht and Ross (last name not specified in the record) to lead drafting the EDC master plan; the motion passed on a voice vote with ayes and no apparent opposition.

Committee members said the countywide effort known as CABA has three working groups focused on planning and zoning, funding and marketing aimed at increasing workforce housing across the county. Members agreed to request materials that CABA and Kenosha County staff can share so the village can compare local codes with the county’s proposed uniform zoning package.

Why it matters: Committee members said incremental changes to zoning and ordinances may be an efficient way to address housing affordability and guide strategic development without a full rewrite of local code. The committee discussed using a shortlist of recurring permitting issues identified by county staff as a starting point.

What happened in the meeting: Jeff Albrecht said he would contact Savannah Myers, identified in the meeting as a Kenosha County community development educator, to request documents and determine what the county can share. Sharon Palmeville and other committee members agreed to pair up on the review and to present recommendations for items that could be implemented quickly versus areas that would require a broader rewrite.

Staff and committee members also discussed the EDC’s role in creating an operations outline and legal framework for any recommendations; members asked staff to gather a “short list” of permitting and ordinance topics that county permitting staff have repeatedly encountered.

Next steps: Albrecht and Ross will review county materials and the staff-provided shortlist, then report back with options for incremental ordinance changes and a timeline for drafting the EDC master plan. The committee also asked staff to collect and share CABA materials and to coordinate with county contacts.