VILLAGE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT - AN OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS THEY PERFORM
Pleasant Prairie's Community Development Department currently employs three full-time and two part-time positions: one zoning administrator/planner, one assistant zoning administrator/planner, one executive secretary, and two clerical support positions. These employees work to ensure that new development in the Village (residential, commercial and industrial) is well coordinated with existing uses and available community resources.
They accomplish their work through land use planning, zoning, and implementing developmental standards and controls with the goal of enabling a balanced, high-quality community that will maintain value over the long term. The Community Development Department is responsible for:
• Developing and updating comprehensive plans for land use, park and open spaces, transportation, Village developments, and neighborhoods;
• Promoting and facilitating economic development opportunities in the Village in cooperation with other Village departments and community partners;
• Reviewing site, operational, and development plans for commercial, industrial and institutional projects;
• Working with other Village Departments (such as Building Inspection, Engineering, Utilities, Public Works and Fire & Rescue) from plan review through to final inspection for commercial, industrial, institutional and residential projects;
• Conducting zoning/compliance inspections for commercial, industrial, institutional and residential properties in response to new construction, expansion projects, and public inquiries;
• Providing technical planning and zoning information to the public; and
• Promoting the preservation of environmentally sensitive areas in the Village such as the Chiwaukee Prairie and Des Plaines River Watershed.
Since its establishment following incorporation in 1989, the Community Development Department has worked to manage the growth that occurs in the Village in a planned and orderly way by respecting the balance between property owners' rights, economic development, and environmental protection.