Town of Lake Mills 2025 Comprehensive Land Use Plan May 8, 2007 Acknowledgements A special thanks goes to the Town of Lake Mills Planning Commission for the lead roll they took in the 2025 Town of Lake Mills Comprehensive Land Use Plan and to the people of the Town of Lake Mills and the Town of Lake Mills Board of Supervisors for their support of this plan. The following individuals provided a great deal of time, input, and information. Board of Supervisors James Heinz, Chairperson David Schroeder, Supervisor I Arlie Wilke, Jr., Supervisor II Robin Untz, Clerk Sharon Guenterber, Treasurer Planning Commission Eugene Hasel, Chairperson Jim Battist Steve Nass Hope Oostdik Arlie Wilke, Jr. Table of Contents Chapter 1 Planning Context ........................................................................................ 1-1 1.1 The Town of Lake Mills and Wisconsin Comprehensive Planning.........................1-1 1.2 Public Participation and Land Use Planning Since 1997.........................................1-2 1.3 Previous Planning Efforts ........................................................................................1-4 1.4 Land Use Planning Outcome ...................................................................................1-6 Chapter 2 Issues and Opportunities in the Town of Lake Mills .............................. 2-1 2.1 Opportunities and Growth Issues.............................................................................2-1 2.2 Goals, Objectives, and Policies................................................................................2-2 2.3 Demographic Information and Trends.....................................................................2-3 Chapter 3 Land Use Element....................................................................................... 3-1 3.1 Land Use Goals, Objectives, Policies, and Programs ..............................................3-1 3.2 Changing Land Use..................................................................................................3-4 3.3 Current Land Use.....................................................................................................3-4 3.4 Soil and Physical Feature Suitability for Land Uses................................................3-7 3.5 Land Division Patterns...........................................................................................3-11 3.6 Land Use Master Plan............................................................................................3-14 Chapter 4 Housing Element......................................................................................... 4-1 4.1 Housing Goals, Objectives, and Policies .................................................................4-2 4.2 Town of Lake Mills Housing Characteristics ..........................................................4-6 Chapter 5 Agricultural, Natural, and Cultural Resources Element........................ 5-1 5.1 Agricultural, Cultural, and Natural Resource Goals, Objectives, and Policies........5-2 5.2 Agricultural Resources.............................................................................................5-7 5.3 Cultural Resources...................................................................................................5-8 5.4 Natural Resources ....................................................................................................5-9 5.5 Recreation, Parks, and Trails .................................................................................5-13 Chapter 6 Transportation Element............................................................................. 6-1 6.1 Transportation Goals, Objectives, Policies, and Programs ......................................6-1 6.2 Modes of Transportation in the Town of Lake Mills...............................................6-4 6.3 Existing Road System..............................................................................................6-8 6.4 Local Transportation Planning...............................................................................6-11 6.5 Jefferson County Transportation Plans..................................................................6-13 6.6 State of Wisconsin Transportation Plans ...............................................................6-14 6.7 Federal and State of Wisconsin Transportation Funding.......................................6-15 Chapter 7 Economic Development Element............................................................... 7-1 7.1 Economic Goals, Objectives, Policies, and Programs .............................................7-2 7.2 Local Economic Conditions.....................................................................................7-4 Comprehensive Land Use Plan 5/8/2007 Chapter 8 Utilities and Community Facilities Element............................................. 8-1 8.1 Utilities and Community Facilities Goals, Objectives, and Policies .......................8-1 8.2 Town of Lake Mills Governance and Community Facilities...................................8-5 8.3 Utilities.....................................................................................................................8-8 8.4 Public/Private Community Facilities .....................................................................8-10 Chapter 9 Intergovernmental Cooperation Element ................................................ 9-1 9.1 Intergovernmental Cooperation Goals, Objectives, and Policies.............................9-1 9.2 Plans and Agreements..............................................................................................9-3 9.3 Joint Efforts..............................................................................................................9-7 9.4 Potential Conflicts....................................................................................................9-8 Chapter 10 Implementation........................................................................................ 10-1 10.1 Implementation Goals...........................................................................................10-1 10.2 Consistency of Plan, Elements, and Ordinances...................................................10-2 10.3 Recommended Ordinance and Policy Updates.....................................................10-3 10.4 Intergovernmental Agreement Recommendations................................................10-3 10.5 Special Local Initiatives........................................................................................10-4 10.6 Scheduled Plan Review and Amending the Plan ..................................................10-5 Key Figures Figure 3.4 Town of Lake Mills Land Use Map (current) ..............................................3-6 Figure 3.12 Town of Lake Mills Master Plan................................................................3-13 Figure 6.2 Town of Lake Mills Transportation Recommendations and Road Classification Map ........................................................................................6-9 Figure 9.1 Lake Mills Growth Areas Map.....................................................................9-6 Appendix Section A – Public Participation Plan and Resolutions Section B – Plan Commission Public Hearing on Proposed Plan Section C – Plan Commission Resolution Recommending Adoption of Comprehensive Land Use Plan Section D – Town Board Resolution and Notice of Public Hearing Section E – Ordinance Adopting Comprehensive Plan Comprehensive Land Use Plan 5/8/2007 Chapter 1 Planning Context 1.1 The Town of Lake Mills and Wisconsin Comprehensive Planning The Town of Lake Mills is located in northwestern Jefferson County along the shores of Rock Lake. Growth and development in the Town and the adjacent City of Lake Mills are heavily influenced by Interstate 94, which connects commuters to Milwaukee and Madison. Lake Mills is the sixth fastest growing Town in Jefferson County. Between 1990 and 2006 the population increased from 1,584 persons to 2,021 persons, an increase of 27.6 percent and increased by 4.4 percent between 2000 and 2006 from 1,936 persons to 2,021 persons1. The population is expected to reach 2,532 persons by the year 20252. Access to nature-based recreation, scenic lake and country views, and a convenient location make the Town of Lake Mills attractive to new residents, second homeowners, and visitors. Figure 1.1 The Town of Lake Mills is located in western The State of Wisconsin Comprehensive Land Use Jefferson County and is highlighted in green. Planning Law, Statute 66.1001, requires every city, village, and most towns to approve a comprehensive land use plan by 2010 and ensure that all local land use ordinances and decisions are consistent with the adopted plan. The 2025 Town of Lake Mills Comprehensive Land Use Plan addresses the following nine elements required by statute. Each element includes inventory and background information, forecasts, goals, objectives, and policies. The nine elements must be consistent with each other and all Town ordinances and land use maps. Issues and Opportunities . Housing . Agricultural, Natural, and Cultural Resources . Transportation . Economic Development . Utilities and Community Facilities . Intergovernmental Cooperation . Land Use . Implementation In addition, the following fourteen planning goals are recommended by the State of Wisconsin and were considered in the development of each element in the Town of Lake Mills Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Comprehensive Land Use Plan 5/8/2007 1-1