P.O. Box 1222, Madison, WI 53701 | www.prodane.org | office@prodane.org | (608) 257-4985
January 22, 2008
Dear Capitol Area Regional Planning Commissioners:
The Progressive Dane Alders and County Supervisors listed below urge you to maintain the strong criteria for urban service area extensions, as well as the goals and policies laid out in the draft documents you will be considering on January 24. We are committed to natural resource protection and restoration as well as compact infill and re-development, because we believe that this is the fiscally, environmentally, and socially responsible and sustainable way to grow and develop.
Thank you for including strong criteria for review of Urban Service Area amendments. We recognize the importance of consistent review of development proposals from a regional perspective emphasizing water quality/quantity, community infrastructure, and natural resource protection. All of this will be enhanced by adoption of the CARPC Review Criteria which are stronger than those of the former Dane County RPC.
We are particularly in support of the following criteria that are part of the draft documents. We feel these are essential to protect Dane County's farmland and groundwater from poorly planned development.
We support the amended goals and objectives in the draft documents. CARPC added two very important goals: dealing with water resources and promoting sustainability.
There is one area of the draft document that is lacking however. A stronger water quality plan needs to be added to both the Goals and Objectives document as well as the criteria for reviewing urban service area extensions.
The Water Quality Plan needs to be updated to reflect areas that need to be protected to preserve both surface waters and underground aquifers and recharge areas. The charter for the CARPC states, “The CARPC will work with communities to update the Water Quality Plan. In addition to the elements required by NR 121 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, the Water Quality Plan shall also define areas that should be protected from development based on provisions to protect water quality…. The Plan shall also define areas that can be developed with measures to protect, restore, or minimize degradation of water quality.” [Emphasis added]
Water quality must be the first priority when reviewing urban service area extension requests, and an updated Water Quality Plan is essential to be able to accomplish this task. Per Res. 52, 06-07 #7, CARPC is required to update the Water Quality Plan. The draft Goals and Objectives and Planning Requirements do not give sufficient attention to updating the Water Quality Plan that is the basic reason for the existence of the CARPC. Until the Water Quality Plan is updated as required, CARPC should not approve any applications to extend urban service areas.
We believe all of the above elements are essential to successful planning in Dane County, and we thank the CARPC for its hard work to produce a thoughtful document to guide protection of all we hold dear about the quality of life and natural resources of the region.
The fiscal impacts and environmental insults of poorly planned development are many and serious. Beyond the additive impacts, these insults aggravate and build on each other. These:
The location and quality of new residential and commercial development that require extensions of water and sewer services will depend on the Review Criteria that the Commissioners adopt. Low density residential development does not pay its fair share of operating costs or of investments in infrastructure (typically having a 20-30 year life), e.g. new roads, police and fire protection, trash pick-up, new schools, etc.
The Review Criteria are the master key to controlling poorly planned, low density development in Dane County. However, the successful use of the Review Criteria depends on interpreting presently available mapped data and updating the Water Quality Plan.
Thank you for this opportunity to comment to CARPC.
Regards,
Dane County Supervisors Chuck Erickson, John Hendrick, Ashok Kumar, Al Matano, Barbara Vedder
City of Madison Alders Tim Gruber, Brenda Konkel, Satya Rhodes-Conway, Marsha Rummel, Mike Verveer, Robbie Webber
Posted by prodane at 03:35 AM | Comments (0)
Did you say your New Year's Resolution this year is to help make the world a better place? It is easy to get started right here in your own backyard! All Progressive Dane meetings are open to the public. To see this month's schedule go to Progressive Dane's Calendar. To see others ways you can get involved go to Volunteer.
Come to this month's General Membership meeting being held this Wednesday, January 23rd, at Madison Downtown Public Library at 6:30 p.m. There you will be able to meet members of the Task Forces and Committees and hear about some of the projects they are working on this year.
This month's chair is Brenda Konkel. In addition to a regular briefing or two, there will be:
1. some more Elections Committee endorsement recommendations,
2. an educational overview by the chairs of the all the Progressive Dane Task Forces and Committees,
3. an opportunity to provide input on the work being done by these groups, and
4. a final vote on the proposed new logo.
Progressive Dane is a member-run political party. Your input is important. Members of the public are encouraged to attend.
People with questions or special needs should contact the Progressive Dane office at 257-4985 or office@prodane.org.
For information on this and other ways to get involved, please go to www.prodane.org.
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The public is invited to meet and greet the three finalists for superintendent of the Madison School District. One candidate will be available for each of the sessions from 4 to 5:15 p.m.:
Steve Gallon III on Tuesday.
James McIntyre on Wednesday.
Daniel Nerad on Thursday.
The meetings will be held on Level 4 of Monona Terrace. In the first hour, visitors will be able to visit with the candidate as part of a receiving line. From 5 to 5:15 p.m. each day, the candidate will make a brief statement and might take questions. More information about the superintendent search is available on the district's Web site, www.mmsd.org.
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The regional planning commission (RPC) hearing is this Thursday. Since the old RPC was dissolved and the new one is setting for the first time its policies to limit urban sprawl, this is a unique opportunity to shape the future of Dane County. www.danecorpc.org
7:00 p.m. January 24th
Room 201 City County Building
210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
The Realtors (TM) and right wing radio are attacking the proposed criteria for the new RPC. We should help defend sustainable development by turning out on Thursday. You can use the following to make some brief comments. Or just wear green, fill out a registration form using the first line below and stand up when someone asks "Who is here in support of the proposed criteria?" Please join us.
I support strong, strict criteria for the Capital Area RPC
to protect Dane County's farmland
to protect groundwater and surface water from poorly planned development.
I especially support criteria to:
prioritize infill and redevelopment,
eliminate the so-called flexibility factors,
consider farmland mitigation such as PDR or TDR, and
protect groundwater recharge areas.
Before they can begin to review new development proposals, the CARPC must fulfill the mandate in its charter to update the Dane County Water Quality Plan to identify areas of the highest environmental sensitivity and growth pressure.
Posted by prodane at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)
Input for City of Madison
November 28, 2007 Listening Session
Regarding development of an Economic Development Plan
Social Justice and “good” jobs are equally important
1. An economic development plan must emphasize social justice. This counts with residents of Madison:
Unbridled economic development simply to raise the tax base and to “grow” the economy can have hidden costs that make it undesirable, such as:
Emphasize the “Wisconsin Idea” in economic development planning, meaning a close partnership with the UW’s capacity for generating new business should be a major focus of any economic development focus and spending.
This partnership needs be applied to generating a broad range of job types, not just high-tech jobs.
Coordinate with surrounding Communities
Economic development must be coordinated between all the Counties boarding the Madison Metropolitan area. This applies to:
Investment in basic sector companies should focus on locally grown businesses whenever possible. Local companies have more of a commitment to the community and given Madison’s resources and with the UW as an economic engine, there should be a broad range of such investment opportunities without needing to cater to national and multi-national corporations that have no such community ties.
If Madison does invest in attracting an “outside” business, it should do so when that business is a basic-sector business (i.e. not a retail business, restaurant, etc.), and when:
The City should critically evaluate prospective development projects to fully understand any potential environmental and economic impact.
Preference should be given to initiatives and programs that promote energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy by the City of Madison and its residents.
Leverage the use of TIF financing
City policy should promote economic development that:
From:
Rick Richards
Member of Dane Buy Local
Chair of the Economic Issues Task Force, Progressive Dane
(608) 255-5023
syzygy1@charter.net
Posted by prodane at 03:06 AM | Comments (0)
The City of Madison is updating its economic development plan and recently held listening sessions to gather input from the public, non-profits and businesses.
Progressive Dane agrees with the consultant hired to complete this plan when he stated at one of the listening sessions that the new plan must both lead to the creation of good jobs and a strong workforce. The Wisconsin State Journal, unfortunately, editorialized in a cartoon denigrating some members of the community (who bore an uncanny resemblance to some Progressive Dane leaders) as being too out of touch to meaningfully participate in this important discussion.
So let’s set the record straight about what Progressive Dane’s thoughts are about economic development planning:
Social justice and “good” jobs are equally important. Investment in community development enables economic development by providing the skilled workforce, social safety nets and quality-of-life infrastructure needed for attracting and ensuring the success of new businesses. There was much concern at the listening sessions about people in our community who might be a burden on our city because they lack the skills, training and support to contribute meaningfully. If we include “investing in people” as a part of our economic development strategy, people become a valuable resource instead of a perceived burden.
An economic development plan must create good jobs. Good jobs pay at least a living wage indexed to inflation. They also offer a career path and must be coupled with support mechanisms and training to allow for advancement. If we focus on creating “any” jobs instead of “good” jobs, we will hamper our economic development efforts and generate more crime, additional burdens on schools, housing, and social services, and a larger economically disadvantaged population. The key in creating jobs should be on quality.
Growth for growth’s sake gets us nowhere. Unbridled economic development simply to raise the tax base and to “grow” the economy can have hidden costs that make it undesirable, increasing population without providing accompanying public and social infrastructure. Who is going to pay for new roads, new schools, public works, public safety, and health and social services when the new jobs are marginal ones? Who will pay for the long-term protection of the natural resources—especially water, and farmland? The issue is not economic development vs. economic stagnation, doing something or doing nothing. We have to ask the tough questions about what kind of economic development do we want and be willing to set high standards.
Progressive Dane is an active participant in this discussion. Our members have been attending Economic Development Commission meetings (and a PD member serves on this Commission) and we have been submitting comments and ideas. Anyone who is inclined to believe the rhetoric bandied about by the Wisconsin State Journal and some others about Progressive Dane being anti-business and not interested in supporting quality economic development efforts should read and listen to our comments and talk to us in person, instead of believing what they read in the cartoons.
Progressive Dane members
Mary Anglim
Jim Kellerman
Rick Richards
Posted by prodane at 01:39 AM | Comments (0)
A letter to the editor
January 8, 2008
Dear Editor: Your New Year's editorial regarding the enviro-timidity of the Dane County executive and Madison mayor was dead on. Then the mayor came a-whinin'.
Do not relent, TCT editors! There is entirely too much green-washing going on, and you are right to expose it.
Take, for example, the mayor's braggadocio about the Natural Step framework. While Mayor Dave Cieslewicz figures out how to close the garage door on the bus barn, his planners and engineers are busy paving over the countryside.
In addition to amnesia about his last job, apparently the mayor missed the fundamental principle of the Natural Step: "People will avoid systematically encroaching upon nature by destroying the habitat of other species." That's enviro-speak for: End sprawl!
The city's latest sprawl project paves over a trout stream! That's right, the plan for a far north side subdivision (Pumpkin Hollow) cuts off water recharge areas necessary for healthy flow and temperature of an acclaimed stream restoration project. To use the Natural Step language, this poor planning will "destroy the habitat of other species." In this case, the project will be destroying habitat of the classic indicator species of a healthy Upper Midwestern environment -- trout.
And this isn't about just one little stream. Token Creek is probably the healthiest tributary flowing into the Yahara chain. By degrading this stream, we degrade all of our lakes.
The county executive hasn't done much better. Even as Kathleen Falk brags about the crumbs for land conservation funding, she rubber-stamps every McMansion that comes her way.
She's never seen a highway she hasn't caved to. The result? Dane County is the fifth-worst metropolitan area in terms of large-lot sprawl across the countryside.
Keep stickin' it to 'em! The health of our city and county depends on it!
Michael Barrett, Madison
Posted by prodane at 01:35 AM | Comments (0)