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Created with Fabric.js 1.4.5 Zoning | Basics What is zoning? Zoning is the legal division of a municipality into districts, with different standards for uses, intensity of use, and structures in each. In 1926, the Supreme Court ruled that properly drawn zoning ordinances were a valid exercise of the states' governing power. After the supreme court decision, Wisconsin enacted a constitutional amendment that passedthe new power down to incorporated municipalities, giving cities like Waukeshathe power to enact municipal zoning ordinances. How is zoning related to land use planning? What gives municipalities the power to use zoning? While land use planning serves as a general guidefor growth and development in a community, zoningis a government regulatory tool that gives land use planning "teeth" and allows a community to legally manage land use and development. Why do municipalities use zoning? The primary purpose of zoning is to segregate usesthat are incompatible and threaten the health andsafety of the community; for example a lead paint factory built next to a school. Zoning is also used to preserve the character of a community and to ensure that certain uses only occur in designatedlocations deemed appropriate for that use "It may seem paradoxical to hold that a policy of building restriction tends to a fuller utilization of land than a policy ofno restriction; but such is undoubtedly the case. The reason lies in the greatersafety and security to investment securedby definite resources." - Edward Basset, Father of Zoning
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