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A town planner asked for Kevin’s help in understanding the land use issues related to a proposed commercial development in a residential neighborhood of the town. The discussion enabled the town planner to provide guidance to the town’s plan commission as it made a recommendation to the town board, which the board ultimately followed.
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A town clerk requested Kevin’s assistance in understanding the zoning issues related to “spot” zoning proposed for a rural area of the town. The discussion enabled her to provide guidance to the town’s plan commission as it made a recommendation to the town board, which the board ultimately followed.
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Kevin conducted research to see the impact on residential development of requiring a 20-acre minimum lot size to build a house versus a 35-acre minimum in prime agricultural areas (A-1 zoning or equivalent). The research focused on development in Sheboygan County towns since 2017, since this was about the time that most towns were being certified for farmland preservation and determining their lot sizes. Somewhat surprisingly, slightly fewer houses were built on average in the A-1 districts with a 20-acre minimum than in the A-1 districts with a 35-acre minimum:
20-acre minimum: 0.397 houses per 1,000 acres
35-acre minimum: 0.413 houses per 1,000 acres
This research has been shared with a town engaged in land use map revisions and will likely be shared with others as well.