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Commissioners review draft land-use map, push for low-density protections ahead of Sept. open house
Summary
Menomonee Falls planning staff and consultants presented final draft land-use and implementation chapters on July 8; commissioners suggested several parcel-specific changes (often shifting medium to low density) and confirmed an open house Sept. 9 and a public hearing Nov. 4 on the draft plan.
Planning staff and the project consultant reviewed the draft Land Use and Implementation chapters of Menomonee Falls’ comprehensive plan update during the July 8 Planning Commission meeting and asked commissioners to provide final feedback before a public open house in September and a November public hearing.
The consultant summarized plan goals, strategies and the future land-use map, and noted several technical steps and dates: a public open house on Sept. 9 (4:30–6 p.m.), a 30-day class 1 notice in October, a Planning Commission public hearing on Nov. 4, and anticipated Village Board adoption Dec. 1. "Tonight we are here to review our last two chapters of the comprehensive plan update," the presenter said, framing the land-use and implementation chapters as the final substantive pieces to be reviewed.
Commissioners spent the bulk of the meeting on the future land-use map. Several members emphasized preserving single-family character and local review authority by recommending that larger, vacant parcels be designated low-density residential rather than medium density. Commissioners repeatedly noted sewer-service availability as a key constraint: areas without municipal sewer were described as appropriate for rural or conservation subdivisions rather than denser development.
Planner Amy Bennett described the mapping changes staff proposed, including consolidating certain "egg-holding" areas into a rural density designation, converting some nonconforming agricultural parcels to low-density residential, and recommending residential designations for parcels near the former school-district property and near Home Depot where commercial designation had been difficult to develop. “We did a lot of public participation last summer... and tonight we're looking at the Land Use and Implementation chapters,” Bennett said.
Commissioners asked staff for side-by-side PDFs showing the existing map and the proposed map with redlines to make it easier to see what would change; staff agreed to provide those materials ahead of the open house. Several commissioners suggested specific parcel edits (noted in meeting materials) that staff will incorporate and verify with parcel-level maps and sewer-service overlays before the public open house.
The implementation chapter was described as standard guidance on how the plan will be used — including an action table in the appendix — and not a binding timetable. Staff said they will prepare boards and large-format maps for the open house and circulate a draft in packet form in advance so commissioners can review changes quickly.
What happens next
Staff will circulate an updated draft and a PDF that highlights edits prior to the Sept. 9 open house; the planning team will collect public comment at the open house and at the Nov. 4 public hearing, then refine the plan for final consideration by the Village Board on Dec. 1.
