Bayfield County Zoning Districts and the Town of Port Wing

Click to download Bayfield County Zoning Districts and the Town of Port Wing

One of the primary elements of community development is the usage and adherence to zoning districts. The Town of Port Wing follows the guidance and adheres to the zoning districts developed by the Bayfield County zoning department. When applicable, zoning variances can be applied for and assessed through the Bayfield County Zoning Department to accommodate special needs of the community. The Port Wing town board will also review the variance and approve or deny based upon community goals and objectives. While there were no specific issues or objections to current zoning, based upon the Town Survey compiled in June of 2021, we understand that education needs to occur to ensure that a common understanding of zoning is achieved.  With the examples below and the zoning district descriptions, we hope to provide the information required to enable future development of Port Wing and achieve better community understanding and support.

Detailed information regarding zoning which will meet all of your information requirements can be found at the following link.  https://www.bayfieldcounty.wi.gov/1445/Zoning-Ordinance-Rewrite

Example 1:(Main Street, Washington Ave) (C) Our Main Street, Washington Ave, is zoned C Commercial. As described below, this district is intended to provide for the orderly and attractive grouping, at convenient locations, of retail stores, shops, offices and establishments serving the daily needs of the area. Overtime, property owners have been granted variances to this district by Bayfield County Zoning Board and with the approval of the Port Wing Town Board to have Residential-Recreational-Businesses, R-RB.  This district is intended to provide for permanent or seasonal residential development and associated recreational use. This example exemplifies the flexibility that the Town and the County can afford our residents in a zoning district that was primarily zoned Commercial.

Example 2: (Development of Industrial Businesses) (I) This district is intended to provide for any manufacturing or industrial operation, which on the basis of actual physical and operational characteristics, would not be detrimental to the surrounding area or to the County as a whole by reason of noise, dust, smoke, odor, traffic, physical appearance, or other similar factors, and subject to such regulatory controls as will reasonably insure compatibility in this respect. Any use determined to be objectionable by the Planning and Zoning Administrator or the Planning and Zoning Committee on the basis of the aforementioned grounds shall be denied, subject to appeal under Section 13-1-102.  It is difficult for industrial business to be established within the confines of its own zoning district yet alone be provided a variance to be developed near or within Commercial, or Residential zones. Future opportunities may present themselves with growth and expansion for industrial businesses. Should that occur, the development of an industrial park would be the most likely direction based upon funding, land acquisition and services required to support industrial expansion.

Example 3: CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) (A-2) Regulated by EPA-Environmental Protection Agency under the clean water act, CAFOs are designated as farms by the Court of Appeals. In 2020, Bayfield County instituted a 1 year moratorium on CAFOs in order to assess its impact on the environment.  Since that time, an amended ordinance has been developed to regulate the development of CAFOs. The Bayfield County board of supervisors are in the process of approving this ordinance for farms that exceed 1,000 animal units. In addition, the state’s natural resources department is in the process of developing an Environmental Impact Statement for CAFOs. We will monitor for progress in this area and look for the approval of the reference document titled, Bayfield County Ordinance No. 2022-09 on Large Scale Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO).

 Sec. 13-1-61 Zoning Districts of Bayfield County

This Section is to divide the unincorporated areas of Bayfield County into districts within which the uses of land will be mutually compatible:

R-1 Residential-1. This district provides for permanent residential developments in unsewered neighborhood environments capable of being served with required services and utilities while, at the same time, being protected from traffic hazards and the intrusion of incompatible land uses.

R-2 Residential-2 This district is to require large lot residential development as a means of preserving the space characteristics of country living.

R-3 Residential-3 This district is to provide medium size lots for residential development as a means of preserving estate living.

R-4 Residential-4

• This district provides for permanent residential developments in neighborhood environments with water and/or sewer as well as other services and utilities. Such developments should be protected from traffic hazards and the intrusion of incompatible land uses.
• Upon the installation of public sewer and/or water supply facilities in an existing unincorporated village, the area may be rezoned to the Residential-4 District.
• The Residential-4 District is not intended for and shall not be applied to areas outside existing unincorporated villages.

R-RB Residential-Recreational Business. This district is intended to provide for permanent or seasonal residential development and associated recreational use.)

F-1 Forestry-1. This district is to provide continuation for forestry programs and to permit compatible recreational development.)

F-2 Forestry-2. This district is to provide for large contiguous tracts that may be used primarily for forestry programs; no residential structures allowed.

A-1 Agricultural-1. This district is designed to provide areas for general agriculture and to prevent the encroachment of scattered commercial and industrial enterprises, and small lot residential development.

A-2 Agricultural-2. This district is to provide for large contiguous tracts that may remain in general agricultural use; no residential structures allowed.

C Commercial. This district is intended to provide for the orderly and attractive grouping, at convenient locations, of retail stores, shops, offices and establishments serving the daily needs of the area.

M Municipal and Institutional. This district is designed to encompass lands for libraries, ballparks, housing authorities, buildings housing municipal units of government, schools, or other uses that are principally of an institutional, educational, or governmental nature and that serve a public need.

I Industrial. This district is intended to provide for any manufacturing or industrial operation, which on the basis of actual physical and operational characteristics, would not be detrimental to the surrounding area or to the County as a whole by reason of noise, dust, smoke, odor, traffic, physical appearance, or other similar factors, and subject to such regulatory controls as will reasonably insure compatibility in this respect. Any use determined to be objectionable by the Planning and Zoning Administrator or the Planning and Zoning Committee on the basis of the aforementioned grounds shall be denied, subject to appeal under Section 13-1-102.

W Conservancy. This district is intended to be used to prevent destruction or alteration of natural or manmade resources which are considered to have valuable ecological or aesthetic assets. All efforts should be made in these areas to preserve the qualities for which they have been set aside.

UVOD Unincorporated Village Overlay District.

• The Unincorporated Village Overlay District is created to accommodate the land use patterns of those established unincorporated villages where, in order to ensure development consistent with the intent of this Chapter, special provisions shall be applied.
• The Unincorporated Village Overlay District shall encompass the lands contained in the Villages of Drummond, Cornucopia, Iron River, Herbster, Grand View, and Port Wing as these boundaries are delineated on the orders creating these respective sanitary districts created under the provisions of Ch. 60.3, Wis. Stats, and on file at the Register of Deeds Office.
• This District shall also include the property included within the Cable Sanitary District service area in Section 18-43-7, in the Town of Cable, and any lands in Bayfield County that are within a Sanitary District Service area.

S-W Shoreland-Wetland. The Shoreland-Wetland Overlay District is created to accomplish the objectives contained in Ch. NR 115, Wis. Adm. Code, and Title 13, Chapter 3 of this Code of Ordinances. This district is based on the most recent version of the Wisconsin Wetland Inventory prepared by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and reflected on the Surface Water Data Viewer. Title 13, Chapter 1, Article D Zoning

M-M Metallic Mining. This district is to provide for large contiguous tracts that may be used for metallic mining operations; no residential structures allowed.