BELLEVILLE, Wis. — Belleville’s village board approved new design requirements for houses and duplexes Monday, Sept. 21, as officials try to preserve the community’s distinctive character while accommodating continued growth. The standards are intended to create more visual variety in new subdivisions. Village officials said residents had raised concerns that several recent developments featured homes that looked nearly identical. People who spoke during the board meeting generally supported the changes, arguing that they would help protect Belleville’s small-town appearance. Some prospective homebuyers, however, warned that tighter design requirements could add to housing costs at a time when affordability remains a major concern. Drew Eveland, Belleville’s village administrator, said the goal is to strike a balance between community preferences and the cost of building and buying a home. “We are basically trying to address that issue in the best possible way we can that meets the needs, the desires of the people who already live in the village, but also doesn’t put an undue burden on the developer or people looking to buy homes here,” Eveland said. The rules come as Belleville confronts the familiar tension facing growing communities: new housing is needed, but residents also want development to reflect the place they call home. Eveland said the village does not intend to halt change. “We can try to do what we can to maintain the character of the village, but there has to be some change and there has to be some growth,” he said. “So we’re kind of doing our best to maintain the most of both of those worlds as we can.” The board also approved a resolution formally welcoming the Town of York into the Sugar River EMS District. The expansion provides 911 medical coverage for Town of York residents as emergency medical services agencies across rural Wisconsin face ongoing staffing challenges.