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Commission reviews draft zoning rewrite chapters covering bluff protection, environmental corridors and outdoor lighting
Summary
Staff presented early draft zoning chapters including zoning districts, a bluff protection overlay, an environmental corridor overlay and a new outdoor lighting chapter that would cap color temperature at 3,000K and encourage full cutoffs; commissioners asked for technical vetting, enforcement clarity on tree preservation and public‑safety exemptions for lighting.
City staff presented the next set of draft zoning chapters and sought plan commission feedback ahead of further public outreach and a planned council recommendation in March. The draft included streamlined zoning districts (including a new 'mixed residential' district), article 14 establishing a bluff protection overlay, article 15 proposing an environmental corridor overlay for primary and secondary natural corridors, and a proposed outdoor lighting chapter with dark‑sky objectives.
On the bluff protection overlay (Article 14), Alderman Gasper and staff said the chapter establishes setbacks tied to slope ratio definitions and bluff‑toe measurements. Commissioners said the bluff methodology is technical and will need vetting by those with geomorphology or engineering expertise; Speaker 1 called the page "balls and strikes at its best" and urged stronger protections for bluff corridors.
On the environmental corridor overlay (Article 15), staff noted the goal of protecting isolated natural corridors that currently have limited protection. Several commissioners raised enforcement and practicability questions: how tree removal thresholds would be triggered for small parcels, whether arborist/forestry permitting is needed, and whether species lists or specimen tree definitions should be used to avoid protecting invasive or low‑quality stands. A Mequon commissioner (Speaker 7) described their experience with a tree preservation manual and inspection thresholds.
On outdoor lighting, staff proposed carrying I‑3 lighting standards into a citywide chapter, with a 3,000K color limit, full cutoffs and limits on vertical emissions; public‑safety lighting would be exempt and handled separately. Commissioners discussed color versus intensity, the potential to require motion sensors for large areas, and how existing lighting would be treated on upgrade (the draft treats lighting as part of civil/site review and would require compliance when fixtures are replaced or upgraded).
Staff said chapters would be refined, more publicly reviewed in January–March, and a recommendation to council could be realistic by March pending revisions and outreach.
