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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Responses to 2022 Citizen Opinion Survey

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, […]