Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Salem Lakes hires von Briesen for zoning rewrite, approves county zoning and inspection contracts
Summary
The village approved a contract (up to $80,000) with von Briesen to rewrite zoning and land-division ordinances and authorized a contract with Kenosha County for zoning and shoreland/floodplain services not to exceed $125,000; a $15,000 internal transfer was also approved to fund the rewrite work.
The Village of Salem Lakes voted to hire von Briesen (proposal presented by Sam Schultz) to perform a comprehensive rewrite of the zoning and land-division ordinances, with the project scoped at roughly 12–18 months and a proposed contract not to exceed $80,000.
Sam Schultz of von Briesen described the firm’s approach: public engagement at the outset, research and staff collaboration, a phased set of updates to the planning commission, and a final adoption process. He said the team would include planning and engineering partners to handle land-division and survey-related technical items.
The board also approved a $15,000 internal transfer to move planning consultant funds into the zoning-code update line to fund the rewrite work. In addition, the board approved a 2026 contract with Kenosha County for general zoning and shoreland/floodplain administration not to exceed $125,000; county-collected permit fees are intended to offset part of that cost, with the village responsible for any shortfall.
Trustees raised concerns about preserving the village’s rural character and ensuring the rewrite reflects local priorities rather than importing the approach used in larger municipalities. The von Briesen team said their work would be shaped by community input. The board voted to approve the contracts and the funding transfer.
