Oconomowoc council creates Urban Park zoning, rezones Village Green and backs parcel consolidation; public input set on park plans

The Oconomowoc Common Council on Sept. 16 approved a new Urban Park zoning district and rezoned five parcels at the Village Green to that district, actions intended to preserve the site for public uses and reduce building setbacks.

City staff presented the zoning ordinance amendment as a new district called UP that would allow public uses such as parks, open space, trailheads, community gatherings and government/civic buildings but would not allow commercial or residential uses. "We're creating a new zoning district," said Mister Gallo during the public hearing portion of the meeting.

The council voted to adopt Ordinance 25-01107 (first reading, with the second reading waived) to add the Urban Park rules to the city code and to change draft language requested by the Plan Commission from "intended for publicly owned lands" to "reserved exclusively for publicly owned lands." The council then approved Ordinance 25-01103 to rezone about 1.45 acres at 104 East Wisconsin Avenue and 105–121 North Main Street (identified in the hearing as Lots 16–20) from a mix of Institutional Public and Mixed Use Commercial to Urban Park.

The new UP district sets park-focused uses and establishes reduced or zero lot setbacks for accessory structures in park settings; accessory buildings may be up to 30 feet in height. The draft also treats antennas and towers in line with state law, allowing antennas on existing structures by right and new towers as conditional uses.

At the same meeting the council approved a certified survey map consolidating four parcels in the Village Green (Lots 17–20) to clarify boundaries for future work. City staff and the Plan Commission said the ordinance and the rezoning would make future construction for park facilities — including the potential construction of a public restroom — straightforward without relying on variances.

Residents and business owners attended the public hearings. Laura Gibbs, a city resident who spoke during public comment, said she does not favor additional restroom buildings on the green unless costs and locations are clarified: "I really don't see we need bathrooms on the Green," Gibbs said, adding she would like cost comparisons with temporary alternatives. Several council members said they want more public outreach before moving to finalize construction plans for amenities.

Council members also set a public-information session on the proposed Village Green improvements for Sept. 30 and scheduled additional committee-of-the-whole discussions on Oct. 7 and Oct. 21 to gather resident feedback before authorizing final engineering or issuing requests for bids.

The council and staff emphasized that the UP district was intended to preserve public ownership and use of the green and to provide flexibility for the city to place park structures without repeated variances or spot-zoning confusion.

Votes at the meeting: The council approved the first-reading ordinance creating the UP district and waived the second reading (voice/roll call recorded). It then approved rezoning the identified parcels to UP and approved the certified survey map combining Lots 17–20. The council also instructed staff to hold additional public engagement before directing final engineering or construction contracts.

Background: The Village Green parcels previously had mixed zoning including Institutional Public (IP) — which carries a 75-foot setback from the water and a 20-foot side-yard requirement — and Mixed-Use Commercial (MC). Plan Commission members had opposed rezoning the site to MC to avoid any appearance that commercial development was intended for the green; instead they recommended the specially tailored Urban Park district approved Sept. 16.

The council said the UP district could be used at other city-owned parks in the future, not solely for the Village Green.