New Richmond News
Feb 12, 2002
Planning funding awarded
Six rural towns, working through the St. Croix County Planning Department, have been awarded a $72,000 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Administration to develop Comprehensive Plans for each community. The group includes the towns of Hammond, Baldwin, Cylon, Pleasant Valley, Erin Prairie, and Stanton.
They will work through a contract with St. Croix County Planning Department to develop a comprehensive plan and plan materials. The St. Croix County University Extension Office, through Resource Agent Jim Janke, is providing assistance to develop and organize town planning commissions and implement public participation activities.
Each community has set up or is in the process of setting up a planning commission to oversee the process. Of the 89 applications for funding statewide, the Heartland Project rated third with 89 points in the rankings. Twenty-three applications were funded; sixty-six were not.
The state passed comprehensive planning legislation in 1999. All municipalities that regulate land use in any way must adopt a comprehensive plan by 2010. The law requires that nine specific elements must be addressed in the comprehensive plan. The plan evaluates what has been happening in a community and is used to determine the future direction the community will take. The nine elements include:
--issues and opportunities;
--land use;
--agriculture and natural resources;
--transportation;
--utilities and community facilities;
--housing;
--economic development;
--intergovernmental cooperation; and
--implementing the comprehensive plan.
Planning Director Dave Fodroczi said the St. Croix County Board of Supervisors and Planning, Zoning and Parks Committee are very supportive of local planning and are interested in seeing communities develop comprehensive plans that address the changing needs their communities face. "Dealing with the effects of future growth is not always easy, but with knowledge and the right tools for each community, communities can direct and control the quality, quantity and location of development in their community," he said. "With citizen input and knowledge of the financial costs and economic impacts of development, towns can make informed decisions about their future, and we can provide the technical assistance they need to make their plans a reality."
The six towns have a lot in common. They have all experienced some of the effects of growth and development, but are still largely rural and have a chance to determine what the future should be. They were all talking about comprehensive planning before the state enacted the new law. That just moved things along and provided an opportunity for funding to assist in the cost, Fodroczi said.
