East Troy planning commission backs zoning amendment to allow additional access points for nonresidential properties

The East Troy Planning Commission recommended the Village Board approve a text amendment that would allow the commission, on petition and for good cause, to permit additional access points for nonresidential uses on a case-by-case basis.

Staff planner Oren told the commission the draft language proposed adding to Section 5-10-91(d)(1): “upon petition, the planning commission may, with good cause, allow additional access points for nonresidential uses based on a determination that the additional access points are warranted given the context of a particular property.” He said the change is intended to give the commission flexibility for unique parcels and cited a middle school example where the current regulation prevented a safety-improving design.

The commission opened a public hearing on the ordinance; no members of the public spoke. After discussion closed, a commissioner moved to recommend Village Board approval of the proposed text amendment as set forth in the draft ordinance dated 03/17/2025; the motion was seconded and the commission voted in favor. The motion carried.

The proposed amendment will be transmitted to the Village Board for final action. The commission noted the change is intended to be applied on a case-by-case basis rather than as a blanket exception to access standards.

The meeting record shows the change was presented as a staff-driven revision to provide “common sense” flexibility for the planning commission when parcels present unique circumstances; no statutory citations were cited during the discussion.