Plan Commission directs staff to post public hearing on adding two-family residential land-use category

The Village of East Troy Plan Commission on March 10 directed planning staff to prepare and post a Class 1 public hearing notice to amend the comprehensive plan map to add a combined single-family and two-family residential land-use category in areas in and around downtown.

Planning staff said the change responds to a mismatch between current zoning (TR-8, which allows single- and two-family) and existing comprehensive plan land-use labels that in many places list those parcels as single-family only. The proposed amendment would add cross-hatched shading on the map (derived from Map 5a in the comprehensive plan) to indicate where single- and two-family uses would be an accepted land use.

Warren, the planning staff member who presented mapping and analysis, said the mapping focused on parcels zoned TR-8 that the comp plan currently designates as single-family; the proposed map would better reflect areas where duplexes already exist. He noted the new category does not rezone parcels; property owners still must pursue rezoning or land-use amendments if their parcel is not currently zoned TR-8.

The commission voted to direct staff to return with a formal amendment and to post the 30-day class notice required for comprehensive plan amendments. Commissioners discussed producing an inset/better-scale map for downtown but also noted the proposed area extends beyond the downtown core and that a larger-scale map might miss some areas.

Next steps: staff will prepare a formal comprehensive plan amendment and schedule a public hearing, which will require 30 days’ notice under class-1 notification rules. The earliest hearing date may therefore be the Plan Commission meeting after the next one, depending on notification timing.

Ending: the amendment is intended to provide clearer direction to residents and applicants about where two-family development could be considered by right or via rezoning.