COMPREHENSIVE PLAN VILLAGE OF FOX POINT FINAL DRAFT - December 18, 2020 This page intentionally blank ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank the Village Board, Plan Commission, and the Comprehensive Plan Special Committee for the Village of Fox Point. We would like to acknowledge the following people and groups: Village Board Douglas H. Frazer – Village President Eric Fonstad – Trustee Christine Symchych – Trustee Liz Sumner – Trustee Marty Tirado – Trustee Bill Kravit – Trustee Greg Ollman – Trustee Plan Commission Douglas H. Frazer – Village President Eric Fonstad – Trustee John Crichton – Commissioner Carol Wilkins – Commissioner Scott Yauck – Commissioner Jay Craig – Commissioner William Langhoff – Commissioner Comprehensive Plan Special Committee Douglas H. Frazer – Village President Christine Symchych – Trustee Scott Botcher – Village Manager Michael Pedersen – Assistant Village Manager Katie Corcoran – Citizen representative We would also like to thank the community members who participated in the survey process and provided their insight which helped to inform the content included in this Plan. Comprehensive Plan prepared by: Vierbicher 600 W. Virginia Street, Suite 601 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204 262.875.5000 www.vierbicher.com Plan adopted by the Village of Fox Point on _____________. ©2020 Vierbicher This page intentionally blank CONTENTS Introduction Village History 3 Planning Process 4 Comprehensive Plan Document Organization 6 Chapter 1: Housing Overview 9 Comments and Ideas from Public Workshop #1 10 Highlights from Public Online Survey 11 Key Demographics 12 Issues and Opportunities 13 Goals and Recommendations 14 Timing and Implementation 17 Appendix 19 Chapter 2: Economic Development Overview 31 Comments and Ideas from Public Workshop #1 32 Highlights from Public Online Survey 33 Key Demographics 34 Issues and Opportunities 35 Goals and Recommendations 36 Timing and Implementation 39 Appendix 41 Chapter 3: Natural and Cultural Resources Overview 51 Comments and Ideas from Public Workshop #1 52 Highlights from Public Online Survey 53 Issues and Opportunities 54 Goals and Recommendations 55 Timing and Implementation 59 Appendix 63 Chapter 4: Utilities and Community Facilities Overview 85 Comments and Ideas from Public Workshop #1 86 Highlights from Public Online Survey 87 Issues and Opportunities 88 Goals and Recommendations 89 Timing and Implementation 92 Appendix 95 Chapter 5: Transportation Overview 109 Comments and Ideas from Public Workshop #1 110 Highlights from Public Online Survey 111 Issues and Opportunities 112 Goals and Recommendations 113 Timing and Implementation 115 Appendix 117 Chapter 6: Land Use Overview 131 Comments and Ideas from Public Workshop #1 132 Highlights from Public Online Survey 133 Key Demographics 134 Issues and Opportunities 135 Goals and Recommendations 136 Future Land Use Map 137 Timing and Implementation 139 Appendix 141 Chapter 7: Intergovernmental Cooperation Overview 153 Comments and Ideas from Public Workshop #1 154 Highlights from Public Online Survey 155 Key Demographics 156 Issues and Opportunities 157 Goals and Recommendations 158 Timing and Implementation 161 Appendix 163 Chapter 8: Implementation Overview 175 Regulatory Measures 175 Non-Regulatory Measures 178 Public Participation and Plan Implementation 180 Comprehensive Plan Consistency, 181 Amendments, and Severability Appendix A: Public Survey Results 183 Appendix B: Community Virtual Workshop Results 205 Appendix C: General Demographic Data 221 This page intentionally blank Introduction Pg. 3 Village History Pg. 4 Public Participation Comprehensive Pg. 6 Plan Document Organization 1 Fox Point Comprehensive Plan Introduction 2 Overview Village History Fox Point is a prosperous community located just north of Milwaukee and bordered by Lake Michigan. Officially incorporated in 1926, the Village is rich with history and takes its name from a Dutch settlement which originates in the area. Native American Fox Point The first recorded inhabitants of what is now present-day Fox Point included indigenous cultures like the Menominee, Fox, Mascouten, Sauk, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Ho-Chunk peoples. In the late 1700s, many of these tribes played pivotal roles in the major European wars taking place in North America, including the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. During the Revolution, many of the tribes in the Greater Milwaukee area allied with Washington’s Continental Army. European Settlers Arrive Dutch settlers arrived in present-day Fox Point in the 1840s and built a schoolhouse, Dutch Reformed congregation, and cemetery. The Dutch Pioneer Cemetery still stands and is a registered landmark on the Wisconsin Register of Historic Places. Throughout the rest of the late 1800s and the late 1900s waves of new European immigrants, primarily Germans, settled in the area. Incorporation and Growth The Village was incorporated in 1926 and remained a small community until the mid-1940s. Like many communities across America, Fox Point experienced an economic and population boom following the end of World War II. The population peaked in the 1970s at nearly 8,000, and has remained stable at just under 7,000 people ever since. The community enjoys quaint scenic neighborhoods complete with tree-lined streets, wooded areas, ravines, and picturesque views of Lake Michigan. Residents benefit from excellent schools, parks, beautiful historic homes, local shops and restaurants, and convenient access to downtown Milwaukee. Both Village officials and residents continuously look for ways to keep Fox Point a special place to live and maintain those aspects of the community which reflect its rich past and culture. Residents of the Village understand the importance of welcoming and celebrating diversity in our community. Fox Point Comprehensive Plan 3 Introduction Overview Planning Process As part of maintaining the community’s past and culture, the Village has undertaken a number of planning efforts to prepare itself for new growth and change. One of these efforts is the preparation of a Comprehensive Plan. A Comprehensive Plan is a document which is meant to provide a guide to regulating development, protecting important assets, and preparing policies used as the basis for decision making. The Village recently made the decision to update the Village’s 2009 Comprehensive Plan in early 2019 and prepare a new guiding document. This Comprehensive Plan was prepared with involvement from Village residents, the Plan Commission, the Village Board, a Comprehensive Plan Special Committee, and Village staff. Comprehensive Plans are required to be updated every ten years by Wisconsin State Statute and are also required to address topics like housing, economic development, natural and cultural resources, and land use. This Comprehensive Plan includes updated text, graphics, maps, issues and opportunities, and goals and recommendation. The planning process consisted of the following steps: Special Committee Formation A committee was formed in order to guide the comprehensive plan process, develop public input workshop content, and review document drafts. The Comprehensive Plan Special Committee consisted of Village Board members, Village staff, and Village residents who met on a regular basis through the planning process. Committee meeting were open to the public and provided opportunity for public input. Kickoff Meeting A kickoff meeting was held in early 2019 to establish the public participation plan, communication schedule, and project expectations. Attendees reviewed plan objectives, the public participation plan, and the project timeline. Public Survey A public online survey was prepared in order to gauge public opinion on a number of topics early on in the process. The survey received 719 responses from residents and feedback was used to guide the planning process and inform those planning recommendations contained in this document. Full survey results can be found in Appendix A. Fox Point Comprehensive Plan Introduction 4 Document Review The 2009 Comprehensive Plan, as well as other relevant planning documents, were reviewed in order to understand previous planning efforts and to take stock of previous accomplishments. New issues and opportunities were identified and goals and recommendations were developed to address them. Public Workshops As part of the public engagement strategy, public workshops were held to solicit public input. Multiple special committee meetings were held to plan workshop activities and to review public input. Relevant results of the public workshops are incorporated in each of the plan chapters. Plan Preparation The final Comprehensive Plan was prepared with input from the public survey, the public workshop, Special Committee input, Village Staff input, and review by the Plan Commission and Village Board. Plan Commission The draft plan was submitted to the Village Plan Commission for review and to conduct a public hearing. Plan Commission recommendations were sent to the Village Board for adoption. Village Board Approval The Village Board acted as the final approval body for the plan. The Village Board adopted the Comprehensive Plan. Fox Point Comprehensive Plan 5 Introduction Comprehensive Plan Overview Document Organization This comprehensive plan document is organized as follows: Introduction Chapter 1: Housing Chapter 2: Economic Development Chapter 3: Natural and Cultural Resources Chapter 4: Utilities and Community Facilities Chapter 5: Transportation Chapter 6: Land Use Chapter 7: Intergovernmental