Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Monday, December 02, 2002
Land use should be city's top priority
Editor's note: This is the second in a series on the proposed new city of La Crosse comprehensive plan.
Terry Collins, co-chairman of the committee that wrote the city of La Crosse's proposed new comprehensive plan, calls the land-use portion the most important aspect of the document.
"The most critical thing about it is how are we going to spend our money, how are we going to improve our city," he said. "The plan says we are going to rebuild, refurbish, do in-fill and concentrate on what we already have rather than try to cause new development."
But while the emphasis will be on in-fill and redevelopment, Collins added, "You can't say there isn't going to be development on the fringes, because there is. But we want fringe to be as close in to the existing city limits and as compact as good planning allows."
La Crosse will need to overcome challenges of a limited land supply and development trends that are attracting growth beyond the city limits, the plan says. Because of limited vacant land, the plan predicts that most development over the next 10 to 20 years will be redevelopment of older industrial properties primarily along the riverfront, infill in established neighborhoods and strategic development on the city's fringe.
Reinvestment needs within the city should be given priority over new land development and fringe growth, the plan says. "Future development in La Crosse should occur by investing in established areas, carefully planning new neighborhoods, providing attractive public amenities and protecting environmental resources."
The city already has identified some land, such as the former Mobil Oil site, for redevelopment. But the plan notes it is not possible to know all of the properties that will become available for redevelopment over the next two decades.
The citizens advisory committee that wrote the plan reiterated the La Crosse Common Council's decision that the city should not extend sewer or water services without annexation.
Traditionally, the city has grown by annexation, the report says. But state legislation makes it difficult for cities to initiate annexation, and steep slopes in the coulees make utility extensions difficult.
However, the plan acknowledges that "capturing some of the region's new development is essential to increase the city's tax base."
"The city should pursue annexation of fringe areas served by public utilities and roads and other areas within the Sewer Service Area," the plan says. "The city should pursue the eventual annexation of the towns of Medary and Shelby."
After 2020, the city should evaluate and possibly propose extending sewer and water services to the towns of Barre and Hamilton.
Meanwhile, the plan suggests the city work with La Crosse County and the La Crosse Area Planning Committee to encourage neighboring towns to slow the growth of housing in areas not served by utilities by adopting strong land development controls.
The plan lists 18 objectives, including implementation of a future land-use plan, compact growth, maintenance of traditional urban character, enhancement of commercial corridors and the riverfront, and restoring brownfields.
Defined in the plan are 17 land-use categories. They include fringe residential housing for "compact and environmentally sensitive residential development in the coulee areas, including areas that are not currently within the city limits." In that category, the minimum density would be 2.5 dwellings per acre.
Another category is traditional neighborhood development, which would include a mix of housing types and densities along with small-scale retail and service businesses. The housing types would include duplexes and multiple-family dwellings as well as single-family homes.
At a recent meeting, Sandy Herold, chairman of the Powell-Hood-Hamilton Neighborhood Association, expressed concern that this category would allow more apartments and more homes to be converted to duplexes in single-family areas.
"It's just new and complicated, and the neighborhoods are fragile," she told the Tribune. "I just wanted to be sure this is a completely good thing."
Apartments can be built to fit into neighborhoods, although "big, square boxes next to single-family homes have jaundiced us all," replied City Planner Larry Kirch.
The apartment complex being built by Paul and Peter Gerrard at Main Street and West Avenue is an example of traditional neighborhood development, he said.
"Neighbors would get to say if it is consistent with the neighborhood," he said. "The real problem is not density, but quality. It is not open season for apartments. The city will require that (developers) come here and get approval; this puts checks and balances on the development that happens."
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