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Delavan council adopts new sign rules, creates data‑center zoning district and denies short‑term rental change
Summary
The Delavan City Council approved a package of planning measures: it adopted a zoning amendment allowing unlimited yard signs up to 32 sq ft during election periods, created a new data‑center (MDC) zoning district to require future plan/map amendments before any development, and denied a proposal to remove the six‑month cap on short‑term rentals.
Delavan — The Delavan City Council on May 20 adopted multiple planning‑related zoning changes, including a text amendment permitting an unlimited number of yard signs during election campaign periods (each up to 32 square feet), created a new data‑center land‑use category and zoning district, and voted to deny a proposal that would have removed the six‑month maximum for short‑term rentals.
The council voted on each item without extended debate. Kevin Armstrong of the Planning Commission told the council the sign amendment responds to state law and U.S. Supreme Court precedent, noting the practical effect for residents: “The major change in the city ordinance is to allow an unlimited number of signs in a yard throughout an election period,” Armstrong said, and warned that the combination of state timing and court precedent limits how much the city can regulate message content.
Public comment at the meeting included Nicholas Kenny of N3616 Elmridge Road, who urged the council to weigh statutory minimums against the city’s existing sign allowances. “The state law appears to simply state that you have to allow 11 square foot signs during a longer potentially four‑month period, but it does not say that the city can’t continue to allow 32 foot signs during the city’s smaller 41‑day period,” Kenny said.
On the data‑center amendment, planning staff and commissioners emphasized there is no active data‑center proposal in Delavan. The ordinance creates a new manufacturing‑data‑center (MDC) zoning classification and requires any future data‑center proposal to proceed through both a comprehensive plan amendment and a zoning map amendment before development could occur by right.
Council members also considered short‑term rental rules. The planning commission recommended no change; the council voted to deny the proposed amendment that would have deleted the six‑month maximum allowable time for short‑term rentals, leaving current limits in place.
Also on the planning docket, the council approved a certified survey map (CSM) land division on Elm Ridge Road and granted a conditional‑use permit to convert a carport to enclosed garages for a three‑unit multifamily building at 111 North Terrace (tax parcel 00033). Those items passed on voice votes with no recorded objections.
The council recorded each ordinance/motion as adopted and moved on to separate finance and operations items later in the meeting.
