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Saint Joseph Town Saint Croix County
City Zoning Code

ARTICLE XVIII

Changes and Amendments

§ 170-100 Authority.

Whenever the public necessity, convenience, general welfare or good zoning practice requires, the Town Board may, by ordinance, change the district boundaries established by this chapter and the Zoning Map incorporated herein or amend the text of this chapter. Such changes or amendments require the review and recommendations of the Plan Commission, Town Board enactment and approval by the St. Croix County Board of Supervisors, as provided by Wisconsin Statutes.

§ 170-101 Initiation of changes or amendments.

A change or amendment to the text of this chapter or to the accompanying Zoning Map may be initiated by the Town Board, Plan Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, or by a petition of one or more owners of the property within the area for which zoning is proposed to be changed.

§ 170-102 Procedure for changes or amendments.

A. 
Petition. A petition for any change to the Zoning Map or for amendments to the text of this chapter shall be addressed to the Town Board and shall be filed with the Town Clerk along with any required filing fee. It shall describe the premises to be rezoned, or the portions of text to be amended, list the reasons justifying the petition, specify the proposed use or district change, if applicable, and, if the petition is requesting a change of district boundaries or district type, shall provide all information required by this chapter and show all property lying within 300 feet of the area proposed to be rezoned, with the names and addresses of all owners of such property. Additional information may be required by the Plan Commission or Town Board.
B. 
Recommendations. The Town Clerk, on behalf of the Town Board, shall cause the petition to be forwarded to the Plan Commission for its consideration and recommendation. The Plan Commission shall review all proposed amendments to the text of this chapter and/or the Zoning Map and provide a recommendation that the petition be granted as requested, as modified or denied, in conformity with the requirements of this chapter. The recommendation shall be recorded in the Plan Commission's official minutes. In arriving at its recommendation, the Commission may, of its own volition, conduct a public hearing on proposed amendment(s). If the Town Board does not receive a report and recommendation from the Plan Commission within 60 days of submitting the proposed amendments, the Town Board may hold hearings and act without first receiving the Plan Commission report and recommendation.
C. 
Hearings.
(1) 
Following receipt of recommendation of the Plan Commission, the Town Board shall hold a public hearing to hear and consider each proposed change or amendment, giving notice of the time, place and the change or amendment being proposed, by publication of a Class 2 notice, under Chapter 985 of the Wisconsin Statutes. At least 10 days prior to the public hearing, written notice shall also be given to the clerk of any other municipality located within 1,000 feet of any land to be affected by the proposed change or amendment.
(2) 
The Town Board may delegate to the Plan Commission the responsibility to hold the public hearing required under this subsection.
D. 
Town Board action. Following such hearing and after considering the Plan Commission's recommendations, the Town Board shall vote on the proposed Zoning Map change or chapter text amendment. Amendments to the text of this chapter or to the Zoning Map are subject to County Board approval as provided by Wisconsin Statutes. The Town's administrative application of this chapter to specific parcels of land in the Town, as by processing and acting on applications for conditional use permits, home occupation permits, any other permit required under this chapter and variances, does not require County Board approval.