Commission approves text amendment to allow fiber-cement siding and remove rain-screen mandate in station-area districts

Brookfield’s Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 23 voted to recommend a text amendment to Section 620.217 (Stationary/SA-1 district general design) that would permit fiber-cement board (commonly known by brand names such as Hardie) as a major exterior material and delete the zoning-code requirement for a rain screen on those materials.

Staff told the commission the current zoning language permits certain wood-composite siding but not fiber-cement siding; the proposed amendment would allow fiber-cement as a major material while removing the rain-screen requirement because the building code already prescribes constructions and moisture-control details. Staff said building-code inspections and consultant review handle the technical moisture and installation issues and that retaining an overlapping rain-screen mandate in the zoning text is inconsistent.

Commission discussion touched on durability, thickness and moisture performance of newer fiber-cement products. One commissioner asked whether the amendment should define material thickness; staff and others said structural and moisture-protection specifics are typically handled in the building code and by permit inspections, not the zoning ordinance. A member of the public and zoning-code update participants urged the commission to expand allowable facade materials to bring variety to new multiunit developments in the downtown area.

The commission voted to forward the proposed text amendment for further processing. Staff said the change aims to correct an inconsistency in permitted exterior materials and to rely on building-code standards for moisture-control details. The amendment will be folded into the broader zoning-code update process and return to the village board as part of ordinance amendments.