May’s Plan Commission
The Commission welcomed new members and reviewed the Housing Chapter from the City’s Comprehensive Plan.
We welcomed two new members onto the Plan Commission at the May 5th meeting. Alder Chuck Boyce and community appointee Ry Thompson took their seats at the dais to fill vacancies of departing member Eric Klar and outgoing Mayor Duggan. As the new Mayor, Abbey Barnes (previously a member) assumed the role of Chair. Returning are Susan Becker, Mike Scarmon, John Gishnock, and myself.
There was no actionable business at the May 5th meeting — though that didn’t prevent a long evening. A deep dive into the Housing Chapter of the City’s Comprehensive Plan kept us in Council Chambers until after 8 pm. Prior to that we heard a preliminary proposal from Grove Partners for a small subdivision on the City’s far west side.
But let me start with an aside.
Friday, May 8th was School Civics Day. Three groups of sixth-graders rotated between sessions at three locations. State Senator Mark Spreitzer met the groups at Creekside Place while Municipal Judge Tom Alisankus held his sessions at the middle school. A collection of elected representatives and paid staff held our sessions at City Hall. Apologies to the Judge, we took over his courtroom.
With our groups at City Hall, we answered questions they had given us in advance, as well as unscripted ones — they had their hands up much of the time. Some were interesting (and hard). How about, “What three steps do you plan to take to put our city on a firmer financial footing?” It’s hard to judge what they learned from us — each group had a different experience. But I think we learned a fair bit from them. Most importantly, we learned what they want for Evansville.
They want a Taco Bell, a mountain bike trail, the return of train travel, and a youth center. They’d like to see the pot holes and sidewalk bumps fixed, and have more areas dedicated for kids. I told them I wanted affordable homes.
Some of these issues are the purview of the Plan Commission. Though to make things happen — or prevent them — its powers are limited, sometimes frustratingly so. We cannot do anything about Taco Bell or reduce the high number of residents who commute. We can’t save all green spaces from development, and it won’t be easy to create affordable places for people to live.
A Small Subdivision on the West Side
Before we dove into the Comprehensive Plan, we heard a proposal from Grove Partners to develop the last section of the Westfield Meadows subdivision. Sienna Crest Assisted Living breaks ground on May 13th for a new facility. Two buildings, one dedicated to traditional residential care and one for memory care, will occupy the northern section of the parcel, bordered by Porter Road. The southern section, bordered by Badger Drive, is the site for the proposed subdivision.
In the original plans for Westfield Meadows, this section was reserved for multifamily residential development - some form of apartments. Instead, Grove Partners is proposing 8 owner-occupied duplexes (16 residential units).
The topic spurred questions and comments. The proposed configuration — with a cul-de-sac — drew the greatest criticism. Cul-de-sacs are a dominant feature in Westfield Meadows, there are currently eight of them in the westside development. But cul-de-sacs complicate City services and have fallen out of favor. Future development detailed in the Comprehensive Plan calls for fully connected, walkable neighborhoods. The proposed development is landlocked, there is no potential for a connecting road, so the cul-de-sac may actually be the best layout.
Beyond that, the project is relatively well aligned with the Comprehensive Plan, particularly in meeting the City’s stated housing density goals. The resulting dwelling units will also be more affordable than single family homes. My own sense is this may be the best way to use an awkward lot left over from a much larger project.
I have already heard from constituents with concerns - including a strong preference that the remainder of the lot be left as green space.
The Comprehensive Plan
Each of us on the Plan Commission has a physical copy of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Several hundred pages long and 1-½ inches thick, it weighs 3 pounds. I took my copy out during School Civics Day and laid it on the counter with a thud. It is the source of guidance as well as frustration.
The Comprehensive Plan, also known as the Smart Growth Plan, is a long-term planning document required by the State of Wisconsin. It forces municipalities and their leaders to look out 20 years into the future and prompts the planning necessary for the future version of their municipalities — complete with new demands for services and new constraints on resources.
Here is a link to the Evansville Smart Growth Plan.
The City last updated the plan in 2022. Much like the prior update in 2015, the process started with a survey. Residents responded to notices sent with utility bills, alerts on the City’s website and Facebook, notices in the Evansville Review, and yard signs around town, completing 439 surveys. That represents a response rate of about 11% — official estimates put 3,900 adults in the City at that time.
Here are the results of that survey: 2022 Community Survey
At the May 5th Plan Commission meeting, we reviewed the Housing Chapter of the Plan. Housing is one of a dozen chapters. Future Land Use is another chapter I rely on.
The Housing Chapter has six stated goals, detailed in the left column below, with my translation on the right.
I might further simplify all of that to the following:
Conserve the environmental assets, preserve the historic identity, and enhance the residential atmosphere of the City so that it continues to be an attractive place to live.
Promote greater housing diversity. Focus less on suburban sprawl and more on walkable neighborhoods.
Encourage development of affordable, owner-occupied homes.
I find this an appealing vision which I support and would like to promote.
There is an unfortunate complication. We are dependent on third parties (developers) to implement that vision. And as my colleague John Gishnock so succinctly said during the recent meeting, “In the 18 years I’ve been on this Commission, we’ve had exactly 1.5 developers to work with.” One developer has had a near monopoly on Evansville.
I’m starting my third year on the Plan Commission, not nearly as long as Mr. Gishnock. In my short time, I have been frustrated that the residential development projects brought forward look very little like what we are trying to encourage in our Smart Growth Plan.
What the heck do we do?
During the May meeting, we reviewed the action items associated with the six major goals through the lens of having a greater impact on future projects. We came away with three areas of focus:
Modify our zoning codes to better align with the Comprehensive Plan,
Better communicate our vision and goals with developers and the community,
Identify incentives for greater adherence to the plan — by both developers and homeowners.
In the grand scheme, we are nearing a crossroads. The project in Westfield Meadows is probably the last one for Grove Partners. Eldon Homes has begun work in our community with the Settlers Grove subdivision, though they are off to a slow start. Eldon offers a broader array of housing designs and we may have better luck moving away from suburban sprawl with future development.
At the advice of a friend, I began listening to podcasts from a nonprofit group called, Strong Towns.
Their perspective and guidance has helped me better understand the ways City officials can be more effective in fostering the types of communities our residents want. If you have any interest in this topic, they provide a wealth of resources.
With the new members joining this month, I think we have a solid group on the Plan Commission. I’m hopeful we can make a little progress with a difficult topic.
One more thing about our visit with the sixth-graders. We learned they know there are rules governing bikes and scooters, but they don’t really know what those rules are.
I’ll stick a fork in this edition. Next up, news from the May 12th Common Council meeting.
Stay Well
Bill
Thank you for the podcast recommendation!
Some things just don't change - the City Plan was something we worked on tirelessly in my time on Council and Plan Commission, only to be ignored and collect dust afterward.
One thought I had (and maybe this is already being done) - add a requirement to proposed developments that they provide a written narrative describing how their proposal supports the City's Smart Growth Plan. It's still lip-service but might at least make the developer think about it and also forces the Commission to remember that they have a plan to follow.