Third Lake commission delays vote on zoning overhaul after hourlong public hearing

Jamie Reap, chair of the Village of Third Lake Planning & Zoning Commission, closed a public hearing on the draft zoning ordinance (File Z25-03-11-01) after roughly an hour and 15 minutes of comments from residents, then voted with the commission to continue the matter to a date-certain meeting on April 8 at 7:00 p.m. The draft updates definitions, parking and storage rules, landscaping and lighting standards, and adds language on solar units and principal uses in business districts.

"I think we've heard pretty thoroughly that a lot of folks who live in Sunshine on the lake, in particular in the R2 lots, are unhappy about what's been presented here, and I want you to know you've been heard," Reap said during the meeting. Commissioners recorded multiple motions: they closed the hearing (motion by Kevin Klausner; second David Kemp), briefly reconvened without public comment, and then voted to continue discussion to April 8 so the committee can review written comments submitted shortly before the hearing and any additional suggested edits.

The commission emphasized that no final ordinance will be enacted tonight. Reap said the Planning & Zoning body will condense the hearing record into a report for the Village Board; Clerk Kelly Novak added that ordinances must be seen twice (committee and board) before the Board can vote. The Commission instructed staff and counsel to collect recent written submissions and to address specific gaps raised by residents before the date-certain meeting.