Chapter 15 Zoning Code Rewrite
Summary
The city is replacing its 40-year-old zoning code with a modern, user-friendly version featuring new downtown districts and stronger landscaping and buffering rules. It could take effect January 1, 2027, shaping what can be built where for decades.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 6
- Last 30 days
- 2
Rising — discussed at 4 meetings since Sep 15, 2026, up from 2 in the two months before.
Impact analysis
No direct cost cited, though stronger development standards could raise construction costs for builders.
Residents, developers, and staff all get a clearer, more predictable zoning code with better-quality development.
Homeless shelters could be negatively affected if the 12-person limit isn't fixed before adoption.
Mentions & discussions (6)
Plan Commission - Oct 28, 2026
The subdivision ordinance is being reorganized and updated to comply with new state statutes that bar cities from tying plat approval to utility installation. Adoption is targeted alongside the zoning code for January 1, 2027.
Committee of the Whole - Oct 19, 2026
The city is replacing its 40-year-old zoning code with a modern, user-friendly version featuring new downtown districts and stronger landscaping and buffering rules. It could take effect January 1, 2027, shaping what can be built where for decades.
Plan Commission - Sep 23, 2026
The city is replacing its entire zoning code, with big questions still open: how motions are phrased, who approves conditional use permits, whether homeless shelter limits fit the Haven and Hope House, and what fees will apply. Adoption is targeted for December with a January 1, 2027 effective date.
Plan Commission - Sep 15, 2026
The city is overhauling its zoning code — replacing Chapter 15 entirely, spinning floodplain rules into a new chapter, and cleaning up the subdivision code. Expect more flexible lot sizes and setbacks, and a big public-awareness push before adoption targeted by end of 2026.
Plan Commission - Aug 25, 2026
The city's whole zoning code is being rewritten — almost done. A consultant memo of big changes (including finally defining warming shelters) comes September 2, and the commission reviews the full draft September 23. One wrinkle raised: how to warn property owners who might land in legal non-conforming status.
Plan Commission - Jul 7, 2026
The long-running rewrite of the city's zoning code is inching along — a full draft should land for commission review in late summer or early fall. It will shape how all future development in Manitowoc is regulated.
Related development
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