Bill would repeal state planning law
11:40 PM 10/05/03
Tom Sheehan State government reporter

Town of Oregon Chairman Jerry Jensen admits there's a lot he doesn't know about Smart Growth, Wisconsin's comprehensive planning program. But he said he's eager to learn. <

Jensen, a 56-year-old farmer and bus driver, is part of a working group of a Dane County Board committee helping to develop a master plan that complies with Smart Growth standards. <

While group meetings are time consuming and sometimes contentious, the effort is worthwhile, Jensen said. <

Smart Growth brings together people with differing viewpoints as well as neighboring local officials who otherwise might not take the time to discuss planning and growth. <

Jensen said he supports modifying the law, which opponents say is an unproductive burden on rural town governments. But Jensen opposes a bill introduced by a north-central Wisconsin lawmaker to repeal Smart Growth. <

Communities that participate in Smart Growth qualify for state grants to help with comprehensive planning if their plans comply with the program's requirements. Local governments are expected to roughly match the state's contribution, said Pat Farley, administrator of intergovernmental affairs for the state Department of Administration. <

Since 2000, when the program debuted, the state has awarded 546 grants totaling $9.5 million, Farley said. About 700 of roughly 1,900 eligible units of local government have developed or are developing comprehensive plans, some without state help, Farley said. State grants range from $10,000 for communities of fewer than 2,000 people to $175,000 for communities with populations of more than 200,000. <

By 2010 most local governments - technically any local unit of government that makes a decision affecting land use - must have comprehensive plans in place and abide by those plans when making decisions. <

Smart Growth may work well for parts of the state experiencing growth pressure, but it doesn't work in rural areas, said Rep. Mary Williams, R-Medford. <

Williams said she introduced Assembly Bill 435 at the request of rural constituents, who say Smart Growth is invasive and expensive. The bill would repeal Smart Growth and not replace it. <

"They want to plan when they're good and ready to plan. They don't like Madison telling them what to do," Williams said of her constituents. <

Supporters of Smart Growth, approved as part of the 1999-01 state budget, say it helps prevent sprawl and protects farmland and the environment. The program has support not only from environmentalists, but also from groups that represent real estate agents, builders and town and city governments. <

Most of those supporters represent urban interests, however, Williams said. Local officials in rural areas are capable of doing their own planning and can work out land-use disputes as necessary, she said. <

Smart Growth saves tax money by guiding development to urban areas, where public services can be provided more efficiently, said Brett Hulsey, a Dane County Board supervisor and Midwest representative of the Sierra Club. Wisconsin is losing agricultural land at the rate of about 1,000 acres a week, Hulsey said. <

Hulsey favors Smart Growth, but said he would support another proposal that would scale back the requirements for some smaller communities. <

Comprehensive plans developed under Smart Growth must address nine elements: housing, issues and opportunities, transportation, utilities and community facilities, agriculture, natural and cultural resources, economic development, intergovernmental cooperation, land use and implementation, according to DOA. <

Local governments may undertake development of plans on their own. But most communities work jointly, often through a county government, Farley said. Of the 546 grants distributed since the program's inception, 447 have gone to counties or communities working together, Farley said. <

Rep. Sheryl Albers, R-Reedsburg, a frequent critic of government intrusion on private property rights, wants to modify Smarth Growth. But good planning is critical, she said. "You need to know where to put homes and how to provide the services," Albers said. <

Albers will introduce legislation that scales back some of the requirements of Smart Growth in areas of the state with low population density, said Albers' aide Ryan Gruber. <

"Smart Growth Light" would allow communities with population densities of fewer than 22 people per square mile to address just three of the nine planning elements, Gruber said. <

"It will end up affecting townships with populations of less than about 750," Gruber said.