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Staff presents draft zoning-code rewrite that would reduce nine residential districts to four
Summary
City planning staff updated the council on a comprehensive rewrite of Waukesha’s zoning code intended to align the code with the 2024 comprehensive plan, reduce nonconformities and simplify rules; key changes include consolidating residential districts, new building and landscape standards, and a public hearing Oct. 29.
Planning staff briefed the council on progress toward a full rewrite of the city’s zoning code, a multi-year effort intended to align zoning with the city’s 2024 comprehensive plan and to reduce the number of nonconforming properties in older neighborhoods.
Charlie Griffith, a planning department staffer, said consultants from Houssey LaVena Associates and planning staff completed a diagnostic and community engagement in 2024 and have been drafting new code sections in 2025. The rewrite aims to replace the city’s existing nine residential zoning districts with four new “residential neighborhood” districts plus a mixed-use commercial district, simplify use lists for commercial areas, and add clearer development- and design-standards to reduce unpredictability in permit review.
Staff cited extensive nonconformity under the current code: in a sample of the five most common residential districts, 3,441 parcels did not meet minimum lot-area requirements and 5,673 did not meet lot-width minimums; staff reported 83% of RM1 parcels and 72% of RM3 parcels are nonconforming. The proposed approach would use fewer district categories and more flexible standards so that many existing properties would be able to comply without special exemptions.
Timeline and next steps: staff said draft standards for building design, development procedures, access and landscaping will be presented at a joint Plan Commission and council meeting on Oct. 29. The remaining administrative and procedural sections are expected in December with a target for council final action in late winter 2026.
Why this matters: the rewrite is the primary implementation tool for the 2024 comprehensive plan. Staff said the change should reduce permit uncertainty for homeowners and businesses, better accommodate redevelopment, and make reviews more predictable for applicants and staff. The plan will preserve historic-preservation overlays and continue to route relevant cases to the Landmarks Commission where applicable.
Public input: staff invited council members and the public to attend the Oct. 29 joint meeting and said the draft remains subject to revision based on feedback from the public, the Plan Commission and councilors.
Questions from councilors focused on whether consolidating districts would limit developer options and how the change would be communicated; staff said the intent is to increase flexibility and reduce costly discretionary approvals.
