Plan Commission

Village of Grantsburg Plan Commission Meeting Monday, July 8, 2024 The Plan Commission for the Village of Grantsburg met on Monday, July 8, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. in the Village Board Room, 316 S. Brad Street, Grantsburg, Wisconsin. Present: Chairman/President Terrance Kucera, Trustee Greg Peer, Members Brent Blomberg, Tyler Myers, Natalie Finch, LuAnn Ebersold, Angie Anderson Others present: Deputy Clerk/Treasurer Allison Longhenry, Pam Plasch, John Erickson Call to Order Chairman/President Kucera called the Plan Commission meeting to order at 5:10 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 5:00 p.m. Public Hearing – Ordinance Amendments Chairman/President Kucera called the Public Hearing to order at 5:11 p.m. C/T Meyer read the Public Hearing Notice. Chairman/President Kucera asked for anyone wishing to speak in favor of the proposed Ordinance amendments. No one spoke. Chairman/President Kucera asked for anyone wishing to speak against the proposed Ordinance amendments. No one spoke. Chairman/President closed the Public Hearing at 5:12 p.m. Discussion was held amongst the Plan Commission members regarding the proposed amendments: 1) add Tattoo Parlors as a conditional use in both B-1 and B-2 zoning districts. Member comments included preferring business district locations over residential districts, tattoo parlors having strict State regulations and age limit restrictions, and that customers of the tattoo parlors should be doing their own research prior to use. Motion by Member Finch, second by Member Ebersold to recommend the Village Board add Tattoo Parlors as a conditional use in B-1 General Business Districts and in B-2 Highway Commercial Districts. Motion passed unanimously. 2) add certified Uniform Building Code (UDC) building inspectors as the required inspectors of one- and two-family dwellings only. C/T Meyer explained that all municipalities in WI have been required to contract with a certified Uniform Dwelling Code (UDC) building inspector since approximately 2004. The UDC inspector the Village has used since 2004 retired in December 2022. The Village contracted with REM Inspecting, LLC for these services in 2023. Municipalities are only required to have UDC inspections on new one- and two-family dwellings. The proposed Ordinance amendments would clarify the Village’s intent to limit UDC inspections to the minimum required by the State of WI. The Village Office staff checks zoning information and DPW Erickson checks all new homes, additions and accessory building to confirm residents are meeting required setbacks. Several members indicated negative experiences with contractors in the past but understood the concern with adding costs to homeowners if UDC inspections were required on all new homes, additions, alterations, accessory buildings, etc. and felt there are other options in place for homeowners. Member Blomberg asked if Village residents were required to use the UDC inspector contracted by the Village. C/T Meyer said Village residents are required to use the UDC inspector contracted by the Village. Motion by Trustee Peer, second by member Anderson to recommend the Village  July 8, 2024 Plan Commission Meeting Page 2 Board approve the changes to Village building codes as presented regarding Uniform Dwelling Code (UDC) required inspections. Motion passed unanimously. 3) add any new mobile home in the Village cannot be more than 15 years old. Erickson discussed his opinion that the age of a home shouldn’t be as important as if the home has been maintained correctly. He also indicated there are a number of 1990 homes located on the east side of N. Park Street that are in very good condition. Member Finch agreed with Erickson and was reluctant to restrict homes with the shortage of housing. Discussion was also held that any new homes moved into the Village would require a UDC inspection. Motion by Member Finch, second by Member Anderson to recommend the Village Board not require an age restriction on mobile homes but rely on the UDC inspection process already in place. Motion passed unanimously. 4) replace manufactured homes allowed in single family zoning districts, R-1, R-2, and R-5 with modular homes allowed. C/T Meyer distributed additional information that explained factory-built homes built prior to June 15, 1976 are called mobile homes and ones built after June 15, 1976 are called manufactured homes and are transported in one piece to a site. Modular homes are assembled on site and anchored to a foundation. Mobile homes are currently only allowed in Planned Unit Development (PUD) areas in the Village. The only Village PUD is N. Nelson Street and the east side of N. Park Street north of W. Benson Avenue. The Village’s intent is to allow modular homes in the single-family zoning districts and mobile/manufactured homes only in Planned Unit Development (PUD) areas. Motion by Member Myers, second by Member Finch to recommend the Village Board approve changing the phrase manufactured home allowed to modular home allowed in the R-1, R-2 and R-5 Single-family Residential Districts. Motion passed unanimously. Minutes Motion by Member Blomberg, second by Trustee Peer to approve the minutes of the June 3, 2024, Plan Commission meeting as presented. Motion passed unanimously. Adjournment President Kucera adjourned the Plan Commission meeting at 6:02 p.m. Sheila Meyer Clerk/Treasurer