WISCONSIN LANDSCAPES Citizens United for Responsible Land Use A Quarterly Newsletter of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin Volume 3, Issue 3 & 1000 Friends of Wisconsin Land Use Institute Fall 1999 1000 Friends of Wisconsin’s flagship Smart Growth Poised environmentally and fiscally piece of legislation, “Smart Growth For responsible. Wisconsin,” is positioned for legislative to Pass Legislature approval this Fall. Smart Growth was • Fourth, Smart Growth establishes a set undefined. approved as part of the 1999-2001 state of broad state policy goals for land use budget by the Joint Finance Committee • Second, Smart Growth would provide planning. Local governments have and the State Senate, but not by the 75% state funding for local planning long been concerned about state Assembly. It is now one of about 200 activities, so that this is not an policies that seem contradictory. The items of disagreement between the unfunded state mandate, yet it does state, with its enormous financial and houses which are being ironed out in a require some local commitment which policy weight, needs to send consistent legislative conference committee. The is important to meaningful buy-in to signals about land use to state budget, already almost local governments. State three months past due, How to Make An Impact With One Phone Call policy goals would remains stuck in the establish a clear direction. conference committee as of Smart Growth is one step away from passage. You can help this writing. put it over the top by contacting your legislators. Here’s how. • Fifth, Smart Growth Smart Growth would be an Call the toll free Legislative Hotline at 1-800-362-9472. The would ask the University historic improvement in Hotline will get your message to your legislators, even if you of Wisconsin Extension to how we do land use don’t know their names. develop a model traditional planning and decision- Want to have a bigger impact? Contact them by e-mail. You neighborhoods ordinance making in Wisconsin. And can find your legislators and write them by accessing the to establish common lot an improvement is badly sizes, street widths, Legislature’s web site at www.legis.state.wi.us. needed. A 1998 University building set backs and of Wisconsin Extension Finally, a thoughtful letter is still the most effective way to other development report found that only 29% persuade your representatives. You can write your own letter parameters for compact, of all Wisconsin — or call or email us and we’ll get you a personalized letter neighborly, walkable communities had any kind that you can simply sign and mail. communities. Every of land use plan and that For representatives with last names ending in A-L: municipality in Wisconsin many of those were P.O. Box 8952 above 5,000 in population outdated, inadequate or Madison, WI 53708 would be required to adopt ignored. Smart Growth For representatives with last names ending in M-Z: the model ordinance. would require communities P.O. Box 8953 However, the decision to to have plans that are Madison, WI 53708 approve traditional comprehensive, to follow neighborhood those plans once adopted For all senators: P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707 developments would and to show how their plans continue to be a local one. would fight sprawl. The ordinance would open the plan. the door to development proposals These are the major points of our • Third, a Smart Growth Dividend that are more compact and less auto- legislation: would be provided to communities dependent than the typical large lot • First, it supplies a uniform definition starting in the year 2005. The subdivision. of what a comprehensive plan should dividend would be available only to contain. Our current state laws refer communities with a comprehensive • Sixth, Smart Growth would require to all kinds of plans, but leave the plan in place and only if the communities to designate “Smart term “comprehensive plan” community is following its plan and growing in ways that are (Continued on page 3) 1 WISCONSIN LANDSCAPES Board of Directors Senator Gaylord Nelson, Emeritus Board Chair From the Desk of the Director 1000 Friends of Wisconsin This summer has seen more activity on the land use policy front than perhaps Don Last, President ever before in Wisconsin. As we report in this newsletter, our Smart Growth Stevens Point legislation teeters only one step away from passage in the Legislature as does our Bev Anderson, Darlington proposal for a dramatically expanded Stewardship land protection fund. The long Dennis Boyer, Linden debate over the land use impacts of new septic system technologies may be headed Marigen Carpenter, Neenah toward a positive solution. In addition, the stage is being set for progress on reform of Wisconsin’s 20 year-old and limping Farmland Preservation Program. Walter John Chilsen, Wausau Arlen Christensen, Madison After better than two decades of little or no progress in land use legislation, why David Cieslewicz, Madison is so much happening so fast? The first answer that comes to my mind is self- Emily Earley, Madison serving: us! When we formed our organization three years ago, 1000 Friends of Robert Ellingson, Amherst Wisconsin vowed to put a positive land use agenda before the Legislature and to Kristine Euclide, Monona fight vigorously for its enactment. We’re doing exactly that. So, I don’t think it’s Jim Holperin, Eagle River just self-congratulatory to say that a big part of the reason for this progress is 1000 Charles James, Milwaukee Friends. Bud Jordahl, Madison Tom Quinn, Menomonie But there’s more to it. We have been able to pull together an unusual coalition Roger Shanks, Merrimac of groups behind our Smart Growth initiative. That coalition, brought together by Jeanie Sieling, Fitchburg our board member and UW professor Brian Ohm, includes groups as diverse as the Deb Slavin, Middleton Realtors, the Sierra Club, the Towns Association and the Alliance of Cities. There Charles Trainer, Milwaukee is a broader recognition that Wisconsin’s population is growing, that growth is not Jim Van Deurzen, Mazomanie often being managed well, and that in order to protect and enhance our quality of life we need to get a handle on it. 1000 Friends of Wisconsin Land Use Institute Most importantly, this recognition of the problems and the opportunities for Jeanie Sieling, President solutions extends beyond interest groups in Madison to Wisconsin citizens Fitchburg everywhere. After all, 1000 Friends wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for our 1,800 Judith Adler, Janesville members in 250 communities all over the state. In a very real sense, we’re starting to make progress in reigning in sprawl because of you. Jim Arts, Madison Juli Aulik, Madison Soon, maybe even before you receive this newsletter, the state budget will be David Cieslewicz, Madison passed – with or without our Smart Growth and Stewardship proposals. Of course, Lindberg Ekola, Superior we aim to win on those issues. But win or lose, we’ll be back in the Legislature John Imes, Madison with more ideas for reform later this fall. We will be there, thanks to you. Erika Kent, Waukesha Larry Kirch, LaCrosse Dave Cieslewicz, Director Don Last, Stevens Point Bryce Luchterhand, Unity Brian Ohm, Madison Dan Olson, Stevens Point Ruth Oppedahl, Washburn Wish list Bryan Pierce, Eagle River If you have been surfing the web lately, you may have happened upon our website Glenn Reynolds, Primrose at www.1000friendsofwisconsin.com. Jay Tappen, Eau Claire Kim Verhein, Waukesha We hope that as more people become concerned Meagan Yost, Poynette about land use, they will seek out our site to learn Thank you! about what we are doing to protect Wisconsin’s Staff As is the case with most non- landscapes. profit organizations — many of our goals could not be achieved David Cieslewicz, Director We need help updating, maintaining and keeping without the help of those Andrea Dearlove, Asst. Director this website easily accessible to our members and individuals who volunteer their Carrie Hirsch, Program Asst. others. If you like working with websites, are time, energy and skills to us. We Lisa MacKinnon, Counsel comfortable working with Adobe, and would like would like to thank the following Lisa Nett, Gvmt. Relations Asst. to volunteer 5 to 10 hours a month working on folks for all of their work: Kathy Bero, Waukesha Field Rep. the website, please call Andrea Dearlove at 608/259-1000. 2 WISCONSIN LANDSCAPES Stewardship Reauthorization: proposal adopted by the A Once In A Decade Opportunity Senate. The $350 million A few weeks ago, the Department Meanwhile, Wisconsinites are program would not even reach the of Natural Resources announced the program’s 1990 buying power. A “Great Addition,” a purchase of always finding new ways to enjoy the outdoors and our understanding $600 million program would bring 32,000 acres in Wisconsin’s north it back to its original buying power woods. At $25 million, the Great of biological diversity and the need to protect it is increasing. While and add initiatives to meet new Addition would account for all of challenges and opportunities like the state’s land acquisition money the total state population was up 5% between 1990 and 1995, state the Great Addition purchase. for an entire year and it points at the importance of renewing the state park visitors increased 15%, trail Is it too much money? Well, Stewardship Fund at a much higher users were up 107%, visitors to consider that if Stewardship had level. state forests rose 19%, registered matched the increases in the state snowmobiles were up 28% and prison program over the last ten The Stewardship Fund is a program 13% more deer hunting licenses years, it would be a $2.5 billion to protect land for public outdoor were sold.