2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Town of Clover Plan Commission

 

The Town Plan Commission (TPC) is a five member Town Board appointed advisory commission.  Members and term expiration dates are Pete Berton, April 2026; Chris Lehnert (vice-chair), April 2024; James Stemwedel, April 2025; Beverly Steele (Town Board representative), April 2025; and Keith Koenning (chair), April 2024.

The TPC’s primary responsibility is to ensure that land use decisions in the Town of Clover are informed by an opinion from the TPC to the Town Board on the consistency of the proposed land use with the Town’s Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map.

The TPC has a standing meeting date of the first Tuesday of each month at 7 pm in the Gym.  If no business has been referred to the TPC by the Town Board, the monthly meeting is cancelled.  Special meetings are held when the deadlines of a particular item of business dictate the need for a TPC meeting.  Agendas and minutes are on the Town’s web site, herbsterwisconsin.com.

In 2023 the TPC held seven (compared to two held in 2020, five in 2021, and seven in 2022) regular meetings. The TPC provided advisory opinions to the Town Board on twelve (five in 2020, ten in 2021, and eleven in 2022) permit applications as follows:  Class A, grading within 1,000 feet of Lake Superior (six permits, three for driveways and three for shoreline protection);  Class A, one short-term rental unit (five permits); Class A, shipping container in R-RB.  The TPC also considered a Petition for a Zoning Map Amendment, A-1 to R-RB (campground).  The petition was denied by Bayfield County.

The Town ordinance establishing the TPC requires the TPC to write and adopt the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. To carry out this requirement the TPC established in July 2022 an ad hoc Plan Committee.  The Committee held three public meetings on Plan elements, conducted a written survey of all Clover taxpayers, and contributed over 1,000 hours of volunteer time to the Plan preparation.  The Wisconsin Coastal Management Program provided funding of $14,036.  The Town contracted with the Northwest Regional Planning Commission for assistance with the preparation of the Plan.   The Plan Committee submitted the new Plan to the TPC and on June 27, 2023, the TPC adopted a resolution recommending to the Town Board the adoption of the 2023-2043 Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map.  A public hearing was held on August 16 and the Plan and Map were adopted by the Town on the same date.

After the Plan (officially Amendment #2 to the 2003-2023 Comprehensive Plan) was adopted by the Town a copy of Part A of the Plan was sent to the over 500 Clover taxpayers.  The entire Plan (Parts A and B, and the Future Land Use Map) is available on the Bayfield County Planning and Zoning Department website.  Additional paper copies of Part A are available at the Town Office.

 

Prepared by Keith Koenning, December 27, 2023