Fitchburg Neighborhood Plan Would Threaten E-way and Lake

By Bill Livick
Oregon Observer editor

This article appeared in the August 2, 2007 edition of the Oregon Observer.

When Oregon’s Village Board unanimously passed a one-year moratorium on residential annexations in May, trustees sent a clear message that they wanted to put the brakes on outward expansion. Under the leadership of then newly elected Village President Steve Staton, the board did an about face from the preceding six years, when boards led by Jerry Luebke gave a green light to virtually any and all development proposals.

Today’s Village Board has indicated its preference for what’s known as infill development, filling unused space within present boundaries and building up, rather than out. In passing the moratorium, the board noted the downturn in the housing market and the decrease in the number of 2007 building permits in the village, as well as the high number of vacant lots in the Bergamont development.

Members of the Village Board have suggested that the annexation moratorium could be extended another year or two if things don’t turn around, and thus far there’s no indication that the housing market will.

Unlike the village’s new go-slow approach to residential development, the city of Fitchburg appears to be moving forward with plans to develop an 868-acre tract between County Hwy. MM and Larsen Road known as the Northeast Neighborhood. Planners estimate the project would add 1,432 new residences and 103 acres of commercial development in an area that is presently agricultural property and woodland. Such urban sprawl in that area, which is very near the Nine Springs E-Way corridor, is unwise.

A group of citizens from Fitchburg and the town of Dunn are opposed to the idea for several reasons. Their No. 1 concern is the threat it would pose to Lake Waubesa and two watersheds – the Nine Springs Creek watershed and the Swan Creek watershed. The streams feed the lake and serve to “flush” its southern basin by moving water northeast and into the Yahara River at McFarland.

An article published in The Fitchburg Star in November says the Northeast Neighborhood development would cause “irreversible degradation” to streams and springs in a state natural area described as one of the highest quality and most diverse wetlands remaining in southern Wisconsin.

The same article cites UW-Madison researcher David Zaber, an expert in freshwater environments, who says the sprawling development would add pavement, homes, storm water runoff and thousands of more automobiles and people to the area. A better use of the land, he suggests, would be to create a conservation corridor from the E-way to Oregon using easements and funds for land acquisition.

Phyllis Hasbrouck, a founding member of the West Waubesa Preservation Coalition, likes Zaber’s idea. And she proposes other uses for the area, such as community gardens, a school of organic agriculture, a farmer’s market within biking distance and “a healthy lake full of healthy fish.”

“We’ve proposed that the Northeast Neighborhood of Fitchburg become a center for sustainable agriculture, instead of one more car-centered development that would incidentally ruin the wetland that keeps Lake Waubesa healthy,” Hasbrouck says. “Maybe you think this is a far-out idea that could never work. But we think that repeating a model whose time is passing is a really kooky idea.”

She goes on to say that if Fitchburg’s alders and mayor were to vote against including the 868 acres in the urban services area, the proposed development would not happen.

“Then all we need to do is raise some millions of dollars to buy the land back from the developer,” Hasbrouck says, adding that it’s not impossible. “People do it every day. More and more donors, foundations and companies are seeing the writing on the wall and want to put their money towards a sustainable future.”

• • •

Why should folks in communities south of Fitchburg care about what happens there? There are many reasons. Most of us value the quality of Lake Waubesa and the Nine Springs E-way, which is part of the Capital Springs State Park and Recreation Area. The area has 3,700 feet of undeveloped shoreline on Lake Waubesa.

Additionally, most people in Oregon, Brooklyn and the surrounding townships commute to Madison to work. Does the idea of hundreds, if not thousands, of more automobiles on Hwy. 14 and Hwy. MM appeal to you? Do you care about air quality?

And what about Oregon’s housing glut? Last week Observer reporter Seth Jovaag detailed the number of condominiums in the village that are sitting vacant – more than double the number per capita in Verona and Stoughton. (And also a far greater percentage than Fitchburg, which has no shortage of available housing.)

Finally, there’s the question of psychological well being. Of course this is difficult to gauge, but right now commuters to Madison pass through an agricultural and environmental corridor that is a welcome relief from the congestion of the city. Most people who live in outlying communities do so for a reason. If Fitchburg’s growth continues unabated, it won’t be too long before southern Dane County begins to look like the sprawling suburbs of Milwaukee.

What can we do about Fitchburg’s proposed Northeast Neighborhood? One option is to get involved in the West Waubesa Preservation Coalition. (Go to westwaubesa.org) If you’re not the activist type, how about writing a letter to Fitchburg’s alders or mayor. Tell them to take a look at what the Oregon Village Board is doing regarding residential development, and suggest they do the same.

In the meantime, just imagine what that nearly 900-acre tract could be other than another sprawling development.

Pourchot Hopes for Courageous Path

Caleb Pourchot's testimony from Aug. 7th Public Hearing:

Good Evening

The elephant in the room tonight that we, the citizens of Dane County, continue to ignore is the fact that we are using more water than is falling from the sky. Saving Stoner Prairie or southern Fitchburg, or even the Northeast Neighborhood for groundwater recharge may be completely irrelevant if we continue to exponentially increase the amount of water we pump out of the ground and send down to the Gulf of Mexico.

Developing around railroad corridors makes a lot of sense, but it ignores the fact that the groundwater underneath us is already tapped beyond its capacity to sustain us. The cones of depression in the deep water aquifer that have developed as a result of over 60 million gallons a day of water pumping have fundamentally changed the hydrology of our area to the point where our lakes are now feeding into our drinking water supply. To take a deep, hard look at this reality and its consequences requires courage and an abandonment of decades of economic dogma.

A dogma that assumes that future problems can be deferred as long as short term interests are fulfilled permeates our culture. Must we always be faced with imminent crisis before we act in our children’s best interest?

Perhaps the purpose of our municipal planning departments should be to re-design what we have in such a way that we can sustain the current population in health and happiness rather than encouraging double-digit growth and expediting our future water crisis.

To this end, as we talk about growth boundaries, we should be talking about the boundary that already exists– that is, the current Urban Services Area. We should also be talking about methods for permanently preserving the land outside that boundary that are fair and equitable to the land owners. Farmers must be preserved as well as farmland. The City should actively promote programs that allow farmers and other agricultural enterprises to innovate and thrive in the urban shadow where they will be perfectly situated to feed the local economy as well as the local population.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

These are challenging words, indeed. My hope, however, is that there will be a few among us who are courageous enough to confront the truth that stares us plainly in the face, and that they will lead us out of our old ways of thinking and blaze a new path toward a sustainable future for our children.

Thank you

Shape Future with Phil Lewis' Vision

Terry's Carpenter' testimony from Aug. 7th Public Hearing:

I would like to see a 50 year or permanent growth boundary and I believe that this process is not a prediction, as some have said, but an effort to shape the future. I want to pick up on Samuel’s comments. On page 138 of his presentation, Phil Lewis provides examples of his Diverse Density design (see below). This graphic shows high density, mixed-use development right along the rail line. Just below that, is the transition to Moderate density as you get farther away. Farming would be adjacent to the Moderate density area and then lastly, Nature.

On the graphic for page 137 (see below), Mr Lewis shows how this would work, from Greentech Village to the points east, including the NE Neighborhood. You can see the existing rail line running N and S parallel to Syene Rd and the existing E-Way, shown in green, creating a buffer of open space north of this entire area extending all the way from Fish Hatchery Rd on the left to Lussier Heritage Center on the right. There is also a large area of greenspace around Lacy Road at the bottom of the highlighted rectangle that represents Watershed Protection for Swan Creek.

Inside the highlighted rectangle, the leftmost reddish/orange box represents High Density along the rail to about ½ way between the tracks and Hwy 14. Moderate Density is shown as lighter orange and ends at Hwy MM on the east. The yellow area from MM to Larsen Rd shows food production and Fitchburg actually ends there but the map goes on to show the Town of Dunn with a large Natural area extending close to Lake Waubesa.

Although Mr Lewis’ vision is being used in the proposed UGB, for example by focusing on the rail corridor, it is being ignored with regard to the NE Neighborhood. His design shows that everything to the east of Highway MM should be Agriculture and therefore excluded from the UGB and I urge you to remove the NE Neighborhood to accomplish this vision.

I think Mr Lewis would agree that more information is needed to see what impact any development in this area would have on the wetlands, streams, lakes and aquifer. So, portions of the NE Neighborhood that are west of Hwy MM should be included for Moderate Density if and only if they can be shown to cause no threat to Lake Waubesa or its ecosystem.

Phasing is extremely important to the promotion of rail for mass transit. So, I also hope that you will not allow leapfrog development to skip over Greentech Village into the NEN.

Another difference between the current UGB and Mr Lewis’ design is that he excludes large portions from the N/S rail corridor for environmental buffers as you saw on the map on page 137. This is important to allow wildlife, wetlands and streams to flourish and I hope you will designate such environmental corridors to connect natural areas and farmland on the east and west sides of the rail line.

I applaud the emphasis on Mass Transit. And rail seems like the best tool for the long term if we want to reduce our carbon emissions and global warming. Although rapid bus transit might be an interum solution.

I also urge you to seek solutions that will not only protect farmland and other resources but will allow farmers to retire gracefully and help new people begin farming in the urban shadow. We need Purchase and/or Transfer of Development Rights and other programs to empower all farmers, including those whose families settled the Town of Fitchburg. We can’t ignore the fact that our decisions pit neighbor against neighbor as farms fall under different economic rules based on changes to the Growth Boundary. We need to protect farms and respect farmers.

I disagree with some who believe that we owe a profit to land speculators. But, I strongly believe that we owe a decent living and retirement to farmers after their decades of Debt, Sweat and Fears. I hope you will take this into consideration. Thank you

Cooke Explains the Depths of Frustration

Samuel Cooke's testimony from Aug. 7th Public Hearing :

I appreciate what you have to go through to set policy. It is not easy weighing all the issues and deciding what is important and what is not regarding land use. That being said, I have to say that I, and others, both here at the meeting and not here at the meeting, are getting very frustrated with what we see happening. Many of us prepare statements and come to the meetings, we write letters to the editor of the Star, for example, and spend lots of time preparing comments on the reports but the Northeast Neighborhood portion of the Urban Development Boundary Map remains exactly the same as when it was originally proposed.

So, I want to help you to fathom the depths of our frustration, such as when we see what the stated Planning vision is for Fitchburg and then we witness something different. Here is the first sentence of the Draft City of Fitchburg Vision Statement’s second paragraph:

Respectful of its past, its unique natural areas, and its agricultural heritage, Fitchburg’s government recognizes the values of the community - our citizens.

That is what this public hearing is all about. That is what previous public hearings have been about. Yet when large numbers of people consistently speak out about the very real dangers to our surface water and groundwater from widespread development in the Northeast Neighborhood the Urban Development Boundary Map remains completely unchanged.

To further illustrate the frustration, 76% of residents who responded to the 2005 survey the City turned out (76%!) were “…very supportive of policies that would maintain open- or green-space between Fitchburg and neighboring municipalities. 79% were very supportive of open- or green-space within the city. That’s right from the Fitchburg website.

Yet the Northeast Neighborhood representation on the Urban Development Boundary Map remains unchanged. There are a lot of very frustrated people as a result of this – we seem to not be listened to at all. How would that make you feel?

And as I, and others, have participate in this process, through attending and speaking at meetings, by spending hours and hours reviewing and commenting on the Ruekert Mielke Draft Stormwater Management report I, and others, watch as many other changes were made from the initial Draft Urban Development Boundary Map. Changes that appear to have originated, at least in part, from comments and interests voiced at past public hearings and meetings.

But not a single change to the Northeast Neighborhood part of the growth boundary has been made.

The other changes have added hundreds of acres of land that weren’t in the original draft map (Stoner Prairie area, McGaw Neighborhood and the huge area north & south of Irish Lane, east of Hwy 14). Hundreds and hundreds of acres added for development and not a single acre removed from the Northeast Neighborhood, despite it being the part of Fitchburg that is adjacent to Nine Springs Creek, the E-Way, Swan Creek watershed, Lake Waubesa wetlands, Big Fen, Deep Springs, organic farms and our immediate neighbors to the east who have invested millions in preserving what a vast majority of Fitchburg residents value also – open, green spaces.

Maybe we just need to come together on a common vision. Maybe we just need to all really listen to Professor Phil Lewis.

Terry Carpenter and I recently attended a presentation on Regional Design by retired Professor Phil Lewis. Professor Lewis is the “father” of the E-Way and has served as a consultant to Governors and other notables from Wisconsin. He has studied the entire region for about 50 years. His vision of a sustainable future includes a number of Wisconsin cities connected by passenger rail. As I’m sure the Planning Commission is aware, he has included Fitchburg in some very special regional plans as part of a Circle City design. Other regional communities have embraced Professor Lewis’ vision. This is an amazing opportunity for Fitchburg to be part of the work of a visionary and his vision includes the Northeast Neighborhood.

I urge the Planning Dept to find a way to share Phil Lewis’ vision with area residents because Phil Lewis’ vision is right in line with what I think the Plan Commission and the Council wants – increases in density where it makes sense, reliance on commuter rail and what the Plan Commission, Council and the people of Fitchburg say that they want – protection of open- and green-spaces.

We are a very polite group and I respect the Plan Commission and Planning staff but we are frustrated. Please listen to our consistent and thoughtful message by following Phil Lewis’ concept of preserving the Northeast Neighborhood east of Highway MM and get the area east of Highway MM out of the delineated growth boundary.

Public Hearing Aug 7th - Yes that's tonight!

Come one. Come all. Let Fitchburg know that you care. Join the chorus (in or out of harmony). Make your voice heard!

This is your chance to comment on the current Long Term Growth Boundary sometimes called the 50-Year or Urban Growth Boundary. I know it's scary but someone has to think about the future. I wish my parents had thought about the future when they got me hooked on internal combustion engines and gadgets (just kidding -- I take full responsibility).

Now: To learn more about what the city’s current plans, go to http://www.city.fitchburg.wi.us/ and click on the link under Comprehensive Plan. Then, check out the Draft Urban Development Boundary Map to see what’s slated for development in the next 50+ years.

I don't like seeing the Northeast Neighborhood targeted for development along with many other rural areas. I think we need to preserve more land, protect more resources and treat the farmers fairly when we add or change rules. That's what I'll be talking about tonight. I hope to see (and hear) you there.

Tonight: Come to the Planning Commission meeting which begins at 7:00 pm in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 5520 Lacy Road. (If you leave now, you can still make it!)

Here is the agenda for the meeting: http://www2.city.fitchburg.wi.us/meetings/files/PLAN_080707_AG.pdf

Agenda item # 8 is a "Public Hearing regarding the draft amended long term growth boundary map in accord with R-30-07." You can register to speak but expect a 3 minute per person maximum. Please consider reading your remarks into the record at the Public Hearing so that everyone can benefit by hearing your concerns.

There are two other Public Hearings tonight so this might be a long one!

Agenda item #6 is for "Public Hearing and Consideration of Resolution R-63-07, modifying Appendix H of 1995 Land Use Plan, re: clarifying where neighborhood plans may take place, and dividing McGaw Park Neighborhood into two planning areas."

Item 6 is a bit of mystery to me since I thought we were considering a moratorium on new Neighborhood Plans until after the Comprehensive Plan is completed. So, why would a division of any neighborhood need to take place now? Perhaps I'll hear the answer tonight.

Agenda item #7 is for "Public Hearing and Consideration of Resolution R-64-07, a resolution to create Appendix I of the 1995 Land Use Plan re: classifying lands within extraterritorial plat review area as established in Ordinance 2007-O-15."

Item 7 was prompted by the proposed subdivision in the Town of Verona refered to as the "Desperate Housewives" Perhaps it should be called "Desperate Developers" since the plans wouldn't be approved based on current standards if this property were in the Cities of Verona or Fitchburg.

Tomorrow: I'll post my Public Hearing remarks on the Blog tomorrow afternoon and you'll be able to add any comments you have to that post.

Eggleston's Review of "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle"

From Rich Eggleston (emphasis added by Terry):

I recently picked up Barbara Kingsolver's book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life," a back-to-our-roots look at industry-driven, petroleum and other chemical based agriculure, that shakes its head at how far America has been led down a path chosen by the agribusiness community, not a bunch of people you'd want your kids associating with.

The book explores how Americans in particular have chosen Big Macs over shepherd's pie, and in the course of doing so we've brought down on ourselves all kinds of health problems. If you want to know what health problems, read the book. They're too depressing to repeat here.

By focusing on a family's year-long adventure away from America's bad food habits, the book somehow avoids being overly judgmental and preachy. It's evangelical, true, but the evangelizing is below the surface of a narrative that flows from asparagus to zucchini, a time for every vegetable under heaven.

Being by nature a political beast who is losing my patience with a lot of today's policies that seem to cater to Wall Street instead of Elm Street, I tend to look for the villains lurking behind the gingham curtains in the kitchen.

And I find them aplenty: the folks who not only took the bread out of bread (replacing it with air), but the taste out of tomatoes and the nutrition out of a host of factory-farmed plants and animals. Kingsolver calls the chain of events "The Case of the Murdered Flavor."

When our friends in agribusiness were through murdering flavor and neutering nutrition, they put the result in microwaveable containers and added enough chemicals to give any particular food a shelf life approximating the half life of radium.

This enabled them to put farmers on an economic treadmill, running as fast as they can to stay in place so they can barely afford higher pesticide and chemical fertilizer costs. Only 19 cents of every food dollar ends up in the farmer's pocket, according to an aside on page 208 of the book.

No wonder farmers are hurting. The government responds by directing nearly three-quarters of farm subsidies to corn and soybean producers, who produce animal food, not people food, the book notes. The subsidies total some $80 billion a year when you factor in transportation, according to Kingsolver's husband, Steven L. Hopp, who provided some of the grim statistics.

Ain't this a great country? And I still have two pages of the notes I wrote on the book to sift through. I'm somewhat proud to have written this junior diatribe (The Fitchburg Star will get the fullblown version) after having eaten a true locavore's supper: lamb chops purchased at the farmer's market in Phillips yesterday and corn from a little ways down Highway 13. The green beans came from Michigan, though. All brought to Dane County at the end of a glorious week in the northwoods.

I somehow escaped tomatoes from our garden in Fitchburg, but I'm sure I'll have to pay for my sin of omission.

Rich Eggleston