Plan commission approves creation of PR‑4 district and expands sports‑shooting overlay

The Village of Pleasant Prairie Plan Commission voted to approve zoning text and map amendments that create a new PR‑4 sports and conservation club district and expand the existing Sports Shooting Range Overlay (SSRO). The commission acted after a staff presentation explaining the multi‑step process of defining sports and conservation clubs and adjusting zoning to reflect existing shooting ranges and conservation lands.

Rob (village staff) told the commission the PR‑4 definition would cover “a private membership organization that provides club members with the opportunity to practice sports shooting activities, fishing activities, and hunting activities” and that the new district would set dimensional, design and operational standards. He said the SSRO changes would restrict new shooting‑range activity generally to shotguns within the overlay and allow other firearm types only at ranges established before Jan. 1, 2024. “The sports shooting range would be restricted to the use of shotguns in that entire district and then use of other firearm types within existing ranges that were established prior to 01/01/2024,” Rob said.

Commissioners asked staff about safety buffers and hours. Staff said the proposed map maintains existing distances between hunting lands and residences and that the overlay was drawn to encompass existing range locations; Peggy (village staff) told the group the mapping relied on wetland interpolations from 1984 and that no new wetland delineations have yet been completed for all parcels. Tom asked whether a cited state statute permitting operation between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. conflicted with the municipal noise cutoff at 10 p.m.; staff responded that state law would preempt local hours for the activities governed by the statute. “The way that we understand it is that the state statute supersedes what local ordinance would be,” Rob said.

Applicant testimony and public comment accompanied the proposal. Al Benson, representing the applicant, said rifle berms on site measure 45 feet and the nearest structure is more than a mile away; he described ranges as member‑exclusive with instructors and range officers controlling activity. Resident Brett Brandenburg raised questions about tax and utility impacts, noting the group of parcels totals about 1,000 acres and asking whether reclassifying parcels to PR categories would change the tax base or clean water utility charges; staff and commissioners said assessments are market‑based and that wetlands and undeveloped floodplain areas commonly qualify for exemptions, and that the proposed PR‑4 addition would not automatically change utility taxation.

The commission put the zoning text and map amendments to a voice vote and approved item 6a. The recommendation will be forwarded to the village board as required by local procedure.