Plan Commission tables Teegarden wedding‑venue conditional‑use request over 200‑foot buffer

The Plan Commission on July 28 unanimously voted to table a conditional‑use permit request from property owners Melizza Hernandez Teegarden (represented by agent Marissa Stanaway) for a wedding and special-event venue on a roughly 6‑acre parcel on the south side of Hwy Q.

Stanaway described the family's multi‑year restoration of a circa‑1915 farmhouse and outlined operational controls the applicant would adopt, including Type 2 landscape buffering, directed lighting, parking attendants, on‑site traffic coordination, and limited programming (one to two events per weekend, typically May–October, averaging about 80 guests). "They are requesting a conditional use permit for a wedding and event venue for their family property," Stanaway said during the hearing.

Village staff and commissioners identified the primary legal obstacle: a Village ordinance requiring a 200‑foot buffer measured from property lines that, as written, would preclude parking and structures needed for the venue. Planner Dominic Marlow told the commission that the code's objective standard leaves limited flexibility under current state law and that the Plan Commission cannot itself grant an area variance; the applicant could either seek a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals or the Plan Commission could direct staff to draft an ordinance amendment. Commissioners also asked the applicant to consult with Kenosha County about driveway and access issues on the adjacent highway before the application returns.

The motion to table directs staff to prepare draft ordinance language for possible changes (e.g., a lower minimum with ability to increase based on site impacts), to evaluate whether gravel parking would be acceptable, and to coordinate review with county highway officials. The item will return to a future Plan Commission meeting after those steps.