Council approves ordinance changing lot coverage rules for accessory residential buildings

The City of West Allis Common Council approved an ordinance amending lot-coverage allowances for residential accessory buildings after staff and council discussion about typical lot sizes and common accessory structures such as sheds, garages, pergolas and gazebos.

Council members weighed whether the revision would primarily affect small backyard sheds or larger structures and asked staff to review how accessory structures such as pergolas or partially covered gazebos are treated under code. Staff noted recurring inquiries and appeals regarding shed sizes and said the ordinance change would address many of those cases.

After discussion a motion to approve the ordinance carried on a voice vote; the meeting record shows the chair calling for ayes and the motion passing. Council members asked staff to check separation, setbacks and compatibility within each residential zoning district and to confirm how certain structures (for example open pergolas) should be classified for lot coverage calculations.

The meeting record includes staff comparisons of lot sizes and references to current practice; however the record did not include a single, unambiguous numeric statement of the new maximum in the portions of the transcript provided. Staff indicated the change would reduce the number of variance requests related to sheds and similar accessory buildings and that the municipal zoning code would continue to require adequate separation and setbacks for safety and neighborhood compatibility.

Implementation steps noted by council include staff review of code wording on pergolas and open structures and confirmation that accessory building rules align with lot-size categories in each residential district.