Board of Zoning Appeals - Regular Meeting

GREGORY All right. Good afternoon. I now call to order the Wednesday, 04/22/2026 meeting of the Appleton City Plan Commission. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of The

United States Of America and to the republic for which it stands,

one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

All right. Roll call of membership has been taken, and with pride I announce that all are represented. Need a motion to approve the minutes of the previous meeting? We have a motion and a second to approve the minutes of the previous meeting. Any discussion of the minutes? Hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right. Minutes are approved.

We have no public hearings or appearances today, so we'll move on to our action items. We have one action item. This is 2085, request to approve Habitat's Gillett Street extraterritorial final plat located in the town of Grand Chute. And Colin's gonna tell us about that. Go ahead.

Thank you. So the pre plat came before plan commission not too long ago. And so the applicant is looking to get final plat approval. This is a four lot plat. Habitat for Humanity intends to build four single family homes on this parcel.

As you can see here on the screen, that's the general location. Again, very briefly, this is within our extraterritorial plat review jurisdiction. So we have the ability to review and make comments on these plats, as well as bring them through plan commission and common counsel for review, making sure that there's connectivity and just long term planning and coordination between us as an incorporated municipality with the town of Grand Chute being an unincorporated municipality. Happy to answer any questions. Otherwise, staff is recommending approval of this final extraterritorial plat.

All right. Let's have a motion. We have a motion and a second to approve. And any discussion from the commission? Did you have something? Okay. Hold on. Go ahead.

I need to recuse myself. I am the vice president of the board of directors for Habitat.

Okay. We'll make a note of that. All right. Any further discussion from the commission? Hearing none, have a motion and a second to approve. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? And with one abstention, that item has been approved. All right.

On to information items 20 six-four 86, proposed draft tax amendments to the Municipal Code Chapter 23, zoning, sections 23 through 43, accessory uses, buildings, and structures pertaining to solar energy systems. Colin, again, go ahead.

Thank you. So this is an informational item that staff is bringing before plan commission to get some some feedback and get your eyes on this proposed text amendment. A little bit of context. In the city of Appleton today, solar energy systems, solar panels, you'll find really throughout the city. They are already permitted as an accessory use and have been interpreted as such in the past.

So this text amendment is really just seeking to clarify some definitions and terminology and establish really clear parameters so that both city staff and property owners understand specific to solar energy systems what the rules and regulations are. This would really came out of the the comp plan that was approved pre only a few months ago, which recommended that, one, we have more permits for accessory solar panels. So this will establish a way to kinda keep a pulse on that, and then also to just amend the zoning code to include solar and specifically call it out in the zoning code. Happy to answer any initial questions you may have. And again, this will come back as an action item later on, hopefully for approval.

So I do have a question. Are there any aspects of these proposed revisions

that would place additional restrictions on solar installations in the city? So it depends on the type. So there's two main pieces or two main types, I should say. You have roof mounted solar panels, so that won't will not change anything as long as the solar panel doesn't go beyond the principal building's height limitation limitation in that specific zoning district. That'll be totally acceptable, and you can fill your roof with solar panels in that case.

And then for ground mounts, there is a lot coverage maximum as well as a maximum for the total surface area of of ground mount panels that cannot exceed the total gross floor area of principal of the principal building, the principal use on the site. Really just as an intention to ensure that there's still a principal use on the parcel and that it doesn't turn into solely just solar. Okay.

Other questions or discussion from the commission? Go ahead.

I wanted to ask, I see accessory uses, but does that also include ADUs as well? Or is it just for primary homes and buildings?

I'm sorry. Was that ADU you said? Yep. So in, say, the case of roofs, you could put roof mount panels on both your principal structure roof as well as all the accessories. So if you have a detached garage, if you have an ADU, yes, you could put that all on there as well.

Okay. Thank you. Yep.

All right. Go ahead.

Thank you. Just one question regarding I think that this wouldn't apply, but a use I've seen a lot is to essentially create covered area on a parking lot and then have solar panels on top of that. From my reading of this, it wouldn't affect the impervious surface. So am I understanding correctly that there wouldn't be a further restriction on that type of application?

Yep. It would depend a little bit on the context. The way that this proposed tax amendment is written is that the components that will be factored in lot coverage, the impervious surfaces, are what is underneath the panel. So if it was just grass underneath the panel, the panel would not be considered in the equation for lot coverage and impervious surface. If it was a parking lot, the parking lot is an impervious surface already included in lot coverage. So I hope that answers your question.

I think it does.

Okay. Thank you. Yep. Maybe just to try and create a bit of a hypothetical just to say, Okay, generally speaking, what would this mean? So if someone who has a substantial surface parking lot that is permitted, it's allowed in the city and they would like to add a solar installation over that parking lot or portions of that parking lot that would serve as cover for vehicles underneath, you see that sometimes, what would these revisions what would be some of the elements that we would look at in reviewing that concept?

And how does that relate to changes that are being proposed here?

Yes. So these proposed tax amendments will include plan review. So we would want a we will require a two scale concept plan that shows all of this. It needs to be reviewed against all other applicable sections of municipal code. And then at that point, we would issue the permit for developing, you know, a larger scale setup for basically, like, canopy over a parking lot.

So there will still be a review process for that. You know, all the the code requirements for electrical are all still gonna have to be followed and stipulated. So there is definitely the opportunity for us to review that and capture it and make sure it complies with the code. And it is, yep, still something that would be permitted. Thank you.

Further discussion from the commission. So in terms of process from here, we're looking at this as an information item. So when when should we expect to see this show up again for action by this body or another?

Yep. This is tentatively going to come to the May 27 plan commission meeting. We will have to do a public hearing for this, and so the notice requirement this gives us some time to put out the notice rather than just bringing it to the the next plan commission meeting. So that will allow you folks some time to to provide any feedback, ask staff any questions, and then also give us the opportunity to post this for public review as well.

All right. Thank you. And I would just add, in addition to members of the Plan Commission, common counsel, if members of the community see this and have an interest in this or have questions, please don't feel like you have to wait until we're in that formalized process to reach out and ask those questions of our staff as we go through the process. If you have those questions now or you're curious about this, please feel free to reach out. And that, again, is for any member of this commission, common counsel, or the community at large.

All right. Thank you very much. All right. Our next information item, a sad one. Isaac is leaving us. So we very much have appreciated your service on the commission. If there's anything you'd like to say, I'll give you a microphone. But you're not obligated. Mr.

Mayor, I do not have a speech prepared for today. But I would just like to say it's been a pleasure serving with everybody. Wish you all the best. I'll still be out and about through the city over at the county. So we'll run into each other. But yeah, it's been great. Whoever fills the seat next

has a good crew. So thank you. Thank you very much. Appreciate your service to the Plan Commission and the City Of Appleton. We are in the process of filling what will be the vacancy on the Plan Commission and I'll be bringing a recommendation forward to the Common Council to fill this vacancy. So we'll have a new colleague joining us very soon here on the Plan Commission. Alder Fenton also indicated just before we got underway that this may well be, her last meeting with us here on the plan commission. Now how many years have you been on the plan commission?

I inherited it. I was elected to fill out the term of another alder person who was on the plan commission, and I inherited it in the 2019. Completely clueless, so thanks to everybody. Deputy Director Kress was the one who was still there at that time. People who kind of steered me through that found that I loved it.

So I coerced my colleagues every year after that. And so I have been here since 2019. But I've decided that it's time to let another of my colleagues have the opportunity. So I will not be pursuing that nomination this evening when we have our officer elections. It's been a pleasure to serve with everybody. Obviously, I will still be an alder person, so I will still be working with staff. And it's really been a pleasure.

Well, thank you. I just didn't want to let the moment go unnoticed. So thank you both. Right. Yeah. And the process for filling the council position on the Planning Commission is an election that the Common Council holds its organizational meeting, will be taking place tonight. So alders go through a nomination process and then there's an election to determine the representative of the council to the Plan Commission. So that process will be taking place this evening. So possible, if not likely, we will have another new colleague

with us when we take In up the words of a person from my state, if nominated, I shall not accept.

I'm just leaving the door cracked open. But we appreciate both of you and thank you for your service to the Plan Commission. All right. With no further information items, so we will entertain a motion to adjourn.

So moved.

A motion? Is there a second? Second. We have a motion and a second. Yes, nicely done. Very good. So we have a motion and a second. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. All right. We are adjourned. Thank you.