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Shorewood plan commission deadlocks 3-3 on rezoning request for 4449–4453 N. Oakland Ave.; forwards split recommendation to village board
Summary
Property owner sought rezoning from MX-1 (mixed-use storefront) to GX-1 (general residential/office) to allow first-floor office occupancy; plan commission recorded letters both supporting and opposing, heard public testimony, and voted 3–3, sending the item to the Village Board for an Oct. 6 public hearing.
The Shorewood Plan Commission was split 3–3 on a rezoning request for 4449–4453 N. Oakland Avenue on Tuesday and forwarded the matter to the Village Board with a split recommendation and a public hearing scheduled for Oct. 6.
The applicant, property owner Andy Burkholtz of Scottie Properties, asked the commission to rezone the parcel from MX-1 (mixed-use storefront) to GX-1 (general residential/office). Burkholtz said he sought the change so he could obtain occupancy for first-floor office space and operate his business there. "Whatever decision is made will be respected. Your opinions are valued," Burkholtz told the commission.
Village planning staff told commissioners the request stems from the 2023 commercial zoning update, which designated the property MX-1 and currently prohibits offices within the first 20 feet of occupied storefronts in that district. Director Hennings said the commission was being asked to provide a recommendation to either deny or approve; "Either way, it will go to [the] Village Board for public hearing," Hennings said.
Commissioners and members of the business improvement district (BID) expressed mixed views. Staff noted the BID submitted a letter opposing the rezoning; the packet also contained one letter of support and one letter of opposition. Burkholtz said he had attended BID meetings and that reactions were split, and he acknowledged concerns about retail loss while saying he intended to be a long-term community partner.
Several commissioners said they were weighing the property's limited storefront supply and the community's zoning goals. Commissioner Klein told the commission that small storefronts in Shorewood are rare and worth preserving as retail; other commissioners said they wanted to evaluate each rezoning request case by case. One commissioner argued the code should be flexible to allow owners options such as offices or retail, while another expressed concern that repeated rezoning requests could undermine the 2023 zoning update.
A motion to recommend approval of the rezoning application was made and seconded. The vote resulted in a 3–3 split, and the commission recorded the item to be heard by the Village Board at a public hearing on Oct. 6. The plan commission's file will include the motion, recorded vote, and written correspondence submitted by the BID and other parties.
The Village Board will receive the commission's recommendation, the meeting recording, and the submitted letters; the public hearing there will determine whether the village adopts the zoning change for the parcel.
