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Commission starts zoning‑code rewrite work; members urge limits on high‑rise housing near new public safety building
Summary
Staff told the planning commission it will circulate a draft use table and policy questions for the zoning code rewrite in June and July. Commissioners urged revising an RM‑4 designation north of the new public safety building to avoid 60‑foot multi‑story buildings and recommended considering lower‑density townhomes or duplexes instead.
Planning staff updated the Port Washington Planning Commission on June 19 about the city’s zoning code rewrite and asked commissioners to review two tasks this summer: a use table that will list allowable uses by district and a set of policy questions about which decisions should be handled administratively versus by the full commission.
Bob Harris, planning staff, said the consultant team expects input in June and July so the draft code can be refined. He will distribute the use table and policy questions by email and asked commissioners to provide comments before the July meeting.
Commissioner Eric raised a site‑specific concern about the parcel north of the new public safety building, currently zoned RM‑4, which the commission discussed could allow buildings up to 60 feet tall. Several commissioners said a 60‑foot building adjacent to existing single‑family homes and the public safety facility would be out of scale and suggested alternatives such as townhomes, duplexes or lower maximum heights for that parcel. Harris said the rewrite includes a new zoning map and that commissioners’ feedback will inform appropriate dimensional standards.
Commissioners also discussed the larger timing and strategic context: staff and a commissioner noted that several proposed data centers nearby could markedly increase the city’s total valuation and that the rewrite presents an opportunity to set the long‑term character and density of residential neighborhoods. Harris said he will circulate the working draft zoning map to commissioners for review and invited individual meetings to refine the proposals before the July meeting.
No formal action was taken on specific map changes; staff asked commissioners to review the materials and return comments by July so the consultant can continue drafting code revisions.
