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Spring Green panel will draft amendment after debate on reduced setbacks and farm‑building definitions
Summary
Commissioners reviewed a decade of minutes and debated whether reduced setbacks in the Extraterritorial Zoning Area should be handled as conditional uses or through the variance process; Chair Greg Prem said the options are to be consistent or to create a definition for farm buildings, and he will draft an amendment for a future agenda.
At its Jan. 15 meeting, the Village of Spring Green Plan Commission and Joint Extraterritorial Zoning Committee discussed potential changes to the village zoning ordinance related to setbacks and yard reductions in the Extraterritorial Zoning Area.
Greg Prem reported that he reviewed roughly 10 years of meeting minutes and estimated that about four conditional use permits for reduced setbacks have been issued in the Extraterritorial Zoning Area during that period. The commissioners debated whether reduced setbacks should continue to be granted through conditional‑use approvals or whether they should be handled via the formal variance process.
"We either need to be consistent or we create a definition for farm buildings," Prem said, summarizing the central tension: consistency versus a tailored definition to address farm structures. Commissioners discussed farm buildings specifically and whether a separate definition and rules would better address recurring requests.
No ordinance change was adopted at the meeting. Prem said he will draft an amendment to the zoning ordinance that clarifies setbacks and possible definitions for farm buildings and will place the draft on a future agenda for further consideration.
The minutes do not specify a timeline for the draft or whether outside stakeholders will be consulted; no formal vote was taken on the policy change at this meeting.
