Plan Commission

The Plan Commission is a nine member appointed body consisting of resident volunteers and representatives of the Batavia School and Park districts.  The Commission oversees the preparation and implementation of the City’s Comprehensive Plan, the drafting of the Zoning Code, Subdivision Regulations and various other ordinances and plans.  The Plan Commission also reviews the City’s Capital Improvement Plan to insure that it conforms to the Comprehensive Plan.  Staff support for the Plan Commission is provided by the Community Development Department.

The Plan Commission reviews development proposals and revisions to the City's Zoning Code.  It makes recommendations to the Community Development Committee of the City Council.  Any development proposal that involves a change to the City Code or any proposal that is required to have a review under the Zoning Code, Title 10 of the Batavia Municipal Code, must come before the Commission.  It is the responsibility of the Commission to thoroughly review these proposals and to make recommendation to the Community Development Committee.  The Commission holds public hearings to review and allow the public to comment on revisions to the Zoning Code and Comprehensive Plan.

The Commission reviews and makes recommendations to the City Council on Zoning Map amendments (rezonings), conditional uses (sometimes known as special uses in other communities), and planned developments.  These require the Commission to conduct public hearings, with notice given to adjacent property owners, as well as publication of a legal notice in a local newspaper (the Daily Herald).  Annexations, when a property owner asks the City to expand its municipal boundary to bring his/her property into the City limits, are reviewed by the Commission.  The City Council must approve all annexation requests, and it must hold a public hearing on any annexation application that includes an agreement with the property owner specifying details of the annexation. 

The Commission also reviews preliminary subdivision plats and applications for Design Review.  These do not require formal public hearings but are conducted at open public meetings.  Decisions of the Plan Commission on these matters are final unless appealed to the City Council.  Some development proposals involve two or more applications that may be reviewed concurrently.

The seven resident members of the Plan Commission also serve as the City’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).  The ZBA hears applications for relief from strict application of the Zoning Code (called variances) and appeals from decisions of administrative staff regarding zoning matters.

Commission meetings are scheduled for the first and third Wednesday of every month, following the first City Council meeting of the month. The meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of Batavia City Hall, and are open to the public.  The ZBA may also meet at the same time, or may hold special meetings to review variances and appeals.  Agendas are available on the City website and are posted at City Hall. Plans of proposed projects currently under review are displayed in the hallway outside the Council Chambers.  Meeting minutes are generally available after the next Commission meeting.  Further information is available from the Community Development Department.

• Sue Peterson, Chair
• Karen Kosky, Vice-Chair 
• Michael Evans
• Sarah Harms
• Joan Joseph 
• Kris Monn (School District Representative)
• Gene Schneider
• John Tilmon (Park District Representative)
• Ed Weiss