By Dave Fidlin
CORRESPONDENT
“Zoning” was a word used frequently when the Whitewater Common Council held its most recent meeting. Several properties throughout the city were granted new zoning designations.
On the heels of a recommendation by the Plan and Architectural Review Commission, the council on July 15 changed the technical zoning on two properties to a residential overlay district. The new distinction gives the owners the opportunity to increase the number of unrelated persons living within a home.
In recent years, the city has changed zoning within some residential areas in an effort to strike a balance between single-family homes and dwellings rented out by University of Wisconsin-Whitewater students.
As outlined in the standards of a residential overlay district, conditional-use permits were granted to Russell and Courtney Walker and John Tincher for a home at 268 S. Prairie St. Property owners Ben and Anne McCready also were issued a permit for their home at 727 Center St.
The council also changed the zoning of a residential development at 523 N. Tratt St. The original conception of the dwelling, presented a year ago, called for a two-story duplex. It has since been redesigned as a split-level, ranch-style duplex.
The council’s fourth zoning issue entailed amending an existing ordinance so the city was in compliance with state statutes. The amendment entailed wordsmith and reflected changes in how rezoning requests are reported.
In other recent business, the council:
• Approved a request made by Matt Amundson, parks and recreation director, to increase a facility maintenance employee’s staffing designation from a 0.75 to 1 full-time equivalency rate.
The city has one full-time employee, Dwight Slocum, who currently oversees the city’s eight facilities. Another employee, Kyle Cromos, held the 0.75 FTE position, but resigned recently.
• Heard an update from Amundson on the Treyton’s Field of Dreams project that has been in the works to honor Treyton Kilar, who died four years ago at age 6 after succumbing to injuries sustained in a car crash.
Amundson said the project timeline has been delayed due to wet weather. It was to have been completed in late August, but a grand opening ceremony has instead been scheduled for Oct. 4.
