Walworth County board approves variance for Whitewater Township homeowners to build addition

The Walworth County Board of Adjustment voted 3-0 on April 9, 2026, to approve a variance that will let Edward Becker and Steven Meisner build an addition to their residence in Whitewater Township, the board recorded.

The action matters because it reduces the required street and shore yard setbacks for the property — enabling construction that the applicants said cannot be placed elsewhere on the lot without additional variances — and the board found the change would improve safety by reducing on-street parking pressures for neighbors and emergency access.

The petition listed the ordinance-required setbacks as a 15.18-foot street yard and a 54.09-foot shore yard. Becker and Meisner requested variances to allow a 0.32-foot street yard setback and a 49.79-foot shore yard setback. The board recorded that those specific figures come from Walworth County’s Shoreland Zoning Code (Sections 74-174, 74-181, 74-219 and 74-221).

Board members said the lot’s steep slope and narrowness presented unique physical limitations that supported a finding of unnecessary hardship because an addition could not be located elsewhere on the parcel without also requiring a variance. The board also noted the parcel is on a private road and said allowing the proposed addition would reduce the need for vehicles to park in the street, which the record said would improve safety for owners, neighbors, emergency personnel and road maintenance operations.

The record shows five letters of neighbor support and one letter of support from the Town; the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources submitted one letter of opposition. David Held made the motion to approve the variance; the motion was seconded by Chair Ann Seaver and carried, 3 in favor, 0 opposed.

At the April 8 hearing the board convened, completed roll call and approved the agenda (amending to remove a separate variance item) and approved drafted minutes from March 11–12, 2026 with an amendment to attendance. After testimony concluded on April 8 the board recessed until a decision meeting at 9:00 A.M. on April 9, 2026, when the approval vote was recorded. The April 9 decision meeting adjourned at approximately 9:07 A.M.

The hearing and decision are digitally recorded and available through the Walworth County Government website under Agendas & Minutes for the Board of Adjustment. The board scheduled its next hearing for May 13, 2026, at 9:00 A.M.; the minutes in this record are not final until approved at that hearing.