WELCOME Barbara Alvarez, Sheboygan County Community Development Educator

Barbara Alvarez started in her role, as the Community development Educator on September 3rd. Barbara has a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studied community-based research practices. She has over 13 years of professional community engagement experience.  In her first 30 days, Barbara reached out to, and met with, or scheduled to meet […]

Community Development Impact May 2024

Kevin Struck, Community Development Educator The Town of Sheboygan Falls recently asked Kevin for assistance in submitting an application to continue its farmland preservation zoning certification with WiDATCP, which expires at the end of 2024. The application consists of a written summary of the Town’s farmland preservation efforts, a checklist confirming the Town’s ordinance meets […]

Community Development Impact January 2023

Kevin was invited to a town plan commission meeting and asked to provide guidance on six agenda items. Topics included: • conditional uses in business districts • irregularly shaped properties (“flag lots”) • legality of outlots • difference between lot frontage and lot width • expansion options for a nonconforming structure • possible land division […]

Community Development Impact September 2022

Kevin conducted research to assist a local town in determining why the town’s Zoning Map was now showing an unexpected zoning designation for eight properties that would make some of them non-conforming. His research findings indicated that no official amendment of the Zoning Map for these properties had taken place during the 2009 to 2015 […]

Community Development Impact July 2022

Kevin conducted research and a compiled reports on behalf of the towns of Lima, Holland, Scott, and Mosel to determine the effectiveness of an innovative farmland preservation zoning strategy he had helped them develop in 2016. The Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) had approved the customized strategy five years ago contingent […]

Sheboygan United at Hmong Summer Festival

Sheboygan United (formerly Familias Unidas) is a partnership with UW Madison Division of Extension – Sheboygan Positive Youth Development, Sheboygan Department of Public Health, Safe Harbor, Partners for Community Development, Aging Disability Resources Center, and Sheboygan County. Dedicated to increasing access to community resources and facilitating wellness through culturally competent outreach to youth and adults, […]

Making An Impact: Community Development March 2022

A pair of towns contacted Kevin asking for assistance with the process of adding standards to their zoning ordinance for wind energy facilities. With the recent news of a developer looking at siting 16 tall (673 ft.) wind turbines throughout the county, having state-compliant standards in place will allow these towns to protect public health, […]

Making An Impact: Community Development February 2022

The Town of Herman asked Kevin to help enhance its zoning ordinance’s performance standards, thereby enabling the Town to change several listed business types from conditional to permitted in its ordinance. This revision will streamline the development process for many future business owners, since a conditional use permit will no longer be required in many […]

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