UPDATE: Green Space Requirement For Industrial Properties Closer To Being Eliminated

UPDATE: The Caledonia plan commission voted on Wednesday to recommend passing the ordinance, despite having 30 people attend the meeting that voiced opposition to the proposal.

The matter will now come before the village board again for a second reading on April 7. While the plan commission approved the recommendation, the village board still would need to give its final blessing after three readings.

Most of the people at the meeting opposed repealing the ordinance in its entirety because they wanted to maintain the village’s rural openness and felt that commercial properties would have more impermeable surface. They argued that more impermeable surfaces would the lead to more storm water runoff and water quality issues, which would require the village to pay for more infrastructure costs..

However, village staff reminded the public that the village’s water quality, stormwater runoff, setback and landscaping ordinances would remain. The village’s water quality and stormwater runoff ordinances are more stringent that the state’s requirements.

ORIGINAL STORY: The Caledonia Village Board is considering eliminating the 40 percent green space requirement for industrial properties.

Under the ordinance, industrial developments are no longer required to have 40 percent green space. However, developments would still need to meet architectural, drainage, design and landscaping requirements. The ordinance applies to all properties zoned industrial in the village, some of which had not been able to be developed because of the current ordinance.

The ordinance will have an impact on future developments in the village, one of which was announced last week.

Majesty Realty Co. has been working with staffers at the Racine County Economic Development Corporation to establish a new business park on Highway K between Highways H and V. The total amount of square footage of the three buildings combined could be as much as 750,000 square feet.

The village also approved an ordinance requiring them to post signs on properties throughout the village in the village right-of-way notifying residents when public hearings are to be held on rezoning, conditional use permit applications, and planned unit development applications.

While both ordinances passed, they still need to go before the board for a second reading on April 7.