Village of Jackson launches 14-month zoning code rewrite; emphasis on conditional uses, setbacks and housing variety

Consultants for the Village of Jackson presented a 14-month schedule and a policy menu of options for a comprehensive zoning code update at a joint special session of the Village Board and Plan Commission on Aug. 21.

Tim Schwecky of Civitec Consulting told the meeting the project timeline includes a scoping and drafting phase, roughly eight months of drafting, followed by public review, an open house and formal hearings; the consultants said they will remain available for interpretation questions after adoption. “This is kind of our first meeting with the Village,” Schwecky said, adding the team has already completed a public participation plan and interviewed eight local developers, architects and builders as part of early outreach.

The consultants described “stress testing” the draft code — applying new rules to selected real parcels to check setbacks, lot sizes and other metrics — plus an online survey and one or more open houses before public hearings. They said the draft will be provided to staff and reviewed in pieces rather than as a single final document.

Why it matters: the village’s basic zoning dates largely to the 1970s with only piecemeal amendments since then, and the consultants said changes in state law (referenced generally as state statute updates including Act 67) make an update important for legal consistency and administrative clarity.

Key project elements and policy choices

- Scope and timeline: Consultants said the formal public-facing work on the code will run about 14 months, with roughly eight months of drafting and follow-up support after adoption. The project has 17 listed tasks, and the team expects to return…