Element 8: Land-Use - Wood County, Wisconsin€¦ · Element 8: Land-Use A compilation of...

__________________________________________________________________________________Wood County Comprehensive Plan

Element 8: Land UsePage 8 - 1

Element 8:Land-Use

A compilation of objectives, policies, goals, maps and programs to guide the futuredevelopment of public and private property. The element shall contain a listing of theamount, type, intensity and net density of existing uses of land in the localgovernmental unit, such as agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial and otherpublic and private uses. The element shall analyze trends in the supply, demand andprice of land, opportunities for redevelopment and existing and potential land-useconflicts. The element shall contain projections, based on the background informationspecified in par. (a), for 20 years, in 5-year increments, of future residential, agricultural,commercial and industrial land uses including the assumptions of net densities or otherspatial assumptions upon which the projections are based. The element shall alsoinclude a series of maps that shows current land uses and future land uses that indicateproductive agricultural soils, natural limitations for building site development,floodplains, wetlands and other environmentally sensitive lands, the boundaries ofareas to which services of public utilities and community facilities, as those terms areused in par. (d), will be provided in the future, consistent with the timetable described inpar. (d), and the general location of future land uses by net density or otherclassifications.



Element 8:Land-Use

Current Land Use............................................3Classification Standards................................3Methodology .................................................3Land Use and Development Patterns............4Potential Land Use Conflicts & Solutions ......5

Opportunities for Redevelopment .................8

Relationship of Comprehensive Plans ..........9

Wood County Land Use Ordinances .............9

Trends..............................................................9

Future Land Use Map....................................11Future Land Use Map Classifications..........12

Goals and Objectives....................................13



Element 8:Land Use

Current Land Use

Classification Standards

The inventory used for this analysis wasdeveloped using the Land Based ClassificationStandards (LBCS). These standards, developedby the American Planning Association, provide aconsistent method for classifying land usesbased on their characteristics. LCBS refinestraditional categories (i.e., residential,commercial, industrial, etc.) into multipledimensions, such as activities, functions,building types, site development character andownership constraints. Each dimension has itsown set of categories and subcategories forclassifying land uses, providing users precisecontrol of land-use classifications.Classifications are based on field surveys, aerialphotographs, topographic maps, localknowledge and other data.

For the purpose of this comprehensive plan,current land use analysis will focus on theactivity dimension of LBCS. Activity refers towhat is actually taking place on the land, suchas farming, housing, shopping, manufacturing,etc. This is the most commonly referred tomethod of defining land uses and is the mosteasily understood.

The Planning & Zoning Office makes the LCBSdata available to each community that choosesto use it for their comprehensive plans. Thefuture land use map for Wood County refers tomaps for those towns.

Methodology

Wood County has inventoried existing land useson two occasions; the first for the 1972comprehensive plan and the second for a 1979update to that plan element. The methods ofclassifying land uses differed enough on each ofthose occasions that a comparison to the currentinventory will be of marginal value. In addition todiffering methods of classifying land uses, theperson interpreting land uses will differ from oneinventory to the next. That said, today’s methodof inventorying land uses is more accurate thanearlier methods because of the quality of aerialphotos, the advanced geographic informationsystem (GIS) technology that is available today,and the acceptance of a standardized method ofdata collection which was not used for earlierland use planning.

Planners and technicians who collected andmapped existing land uses made use of severalresources. First, the most current aerialphotography is studied. Using a GIS systemover the top of the photos, technicians createdpolygons of various land uses and establishedpoints for various structures. Those polygonsand points were then assigned to the numerouscategories that are established in the LCBS foreither current activity (actual observable use ofthe land), function (economic function or type ofestablishment on the land), structure (type ofstructure or building on the land), sitedevelopment character (physical development ingeneral terms), or ownership (relationshipbetween the use of land and its land rights).While there appears to be some overlap in theseclassifications, each presents its ownopportunities to analyze land uses.

Examples of how land use is determined arehelpful. In earlier land use inventories, if aproperty owner owned five acres of land with ahome on that land, the entire five acres wasclassified as residential even though the ownermay only use two acres (determined by theamount of mowed lawn) for residential purposesand the balance remains wooded or otherwiseundeveloped. Using today’s system of land use



classification, the two acres would be classifiedas residential and three acres would beclassified as wooded or natural resources.Another example is where a home and a smallbusiness may share a property. In that case,the principal use of the property – usuallyresidential – was used as the classification ofthe land in previous studies. Using the currentmethod of classifying land uses, both uses areapplied to the property for a more accuratedescription. By comparing the previousmethods to current methods, one can see thatan accurate, apples-to-apples comparison issimply not possible.

Land Use and Development Patterns

The first land use analysis for Wood County waspublished in 1972 as part of the ComprehensiveDevelopment Plan for the county. That planincluded general land use categories fordeveloped and undeveloped land uses.Although collection and interpretation of landuses in the early 1970s differed from methodsused today, the 1972 data provide a startingpoint for analyzing change over time and anunderstanding how Wood County became whatit is today. Table 8-1 shows a comparison of“developed lands” for 1972 and 2008. Somedata was combined for this table in an attempt toshow similar general land use categorycomparisons as interpreted in each of thoseyears.

Figure 8-1 is a map of the how land is beingused in the early 2000s. Although small indetail, note the higher density of residential usesjust outside the Wisconsin Rapids-PortEdwards-Nekoosa-Biron urban area and inthose towns that border the City of Marshfield.Many of those developments have occurredsince the 1972 land use plan was completed.

Some of the earlier developments have beenannexed to the cities and villages because lotswere too small to sustain septic systems,industrial expansion areas were needed in theincorporated communities, or commercialdevelopments that need sanitary sewer, stormsewer and municipal water pressure werecreated. Each of the towns that border theurban areas has either completed future landuse plans of their own (see Appendix 1) or has acomprehensive plan underway. Cameron andthe City of Marshfield have a boundaryagreement that anticipates land use changesthat will result with the completion of U.S.Highway 10 in 2012. Although other towns thatare adjacent to small cities and villages haveexperienced some sprawling out from themunicipalities, it is not as prevalent as aroundthe two larger urban areas. In isolated cases,smaller communities have annexed land forexpansion of certain land uses. Pittsvilleannexed land to the east, for example, toaccommodate growth in their industrial base.

Table 8-1Wood County Land Use Trends, 1973 to 2008

1972 County Total 2008 County Total

Land UseCategory

Acres Percent Acres Percent

DevelopedLands

36,012 100.0

Residential 5,507 15.3

Commercial 547 1.5

Industrial 1,587 4.4

Public &Parks

3,280 9.1

Transportation 13,185 36.6

Farmsteads 11,510 32.0

Abandoned 396 1.1

UndevelopedLands

485,323 100.0

Special Farms 2,098 0.4

Forest &Woodlands

146,329 30.2

Cropland &Pasture

220,321 45.4

Wetland 95,305 19.6

Water 9,092 1.9

Vacant Land 12,178 2.5

Source: Wood County Planning & Zoning Office.



Figure 8-1

Gardner Cold Storage constructed a largefacility to accommodate the growing cranberryindustry. Badger State Fruit Processing alsohas a processing plant on that site. At the timethis plan was being drafted, Gardner ColdStorage was in the process of expanding theirfacility. The Village of Milladore providesanother example. The Village annexed a smallarea of land where a senior housing facility wasconstructed. That facility needed the municipalservices of the Village. Finally, Hewitt hasgrown because of its easy commute into the Cityof Marshfield and because of the communitypride of that Village’s residents. It is likely that

Hewitt will have to annex land duringthe planning period to accommodateadditional residential and, possiblycommercial, growth.

Potential Land Use Conflicts& Solutions

Wood County regulates land useonly insofar as development isproposed in floodplains andwetlands. Those county ordinancesare the result of programs that aremandated by the federal or stategovernments. The county also hasan ordinance to regulate the typeand placement of private on-sitewaste treatment systems, commonlyreferred to as “septic systems.” Thatordinance is also the result of astate-mandate. A county landsubdivision ordinance establishesstandards and performance criteriafor land splits. While Chapter 236 ofthe Wisconsin Statutes alsoregulates subdivisions of land, theWood County ordinance appliessome stricter standards than those ofthe state. All other regulation of landuses within Wood County’s legaljurisdiction is left to the individualtowns. Wood County does not havea comprehensive zoning ordinance

to regulate land uses within unincorporatedareas of the county.1 Although the County didconsider adopting a county-wide zoning in theearly 1970s, that ordinance was not adoptedand the philosophy of several County Boardcommittees since then has been that the townsshould have the option of determining the typesof land uses within their jurisdictions and

1Wood County does have a zoning ordinance that was

adopted in 1934, but that ordinance has never beenupdated to modern standards. There are some statutoryprovisions requiring towns to submit zoning ordinance textand maps to the Wood County Board for approval.Changes that are submitted have been routinely approvedby the County Board after determining that they do notconflict with the other county ordinances.



regulating those uses as they see fit withoutCounty interjection.

More recently, some municipalities havesuggested that ordinances that regulate certainland uses would be most effective if applied on acounty wide scale. Specifically, consistentstandards applying to the construction,maintenance and abandonment ofcommunication towers, wind generationequipment, and signs been suggested. Theprimary reasoning is that consistent standardswould be most cost-effective for both businessesthat have such uses, for access toadministrators of such ordinances, and forconsistent interpretation of the standards.

Potential conflicts regarding different land usesthroughout Wood County have been identifiedand include activities in the following list.

Non-farm housing vs. agricultural uses.

In the northern parts of Wood County, where themost active farming occurs, conflicts arise whensome farming activities are incompatible with thenon-farm residential activities. Many of the so-called conflicts are, in actuality, inconveniencesto rural residential uses. In Wood County,activities such as aerial spraying of cranberrycrops, dust from plowing, noise from farmmachinery, odors from farm animals, farmanimals grazing near non-farm residential fencelines and drawing flies, mud being dropped ontown roads, and others are sometimes anuisance to non-farm activities, but areconsidered a part of country living. Conversely,farm operators have had issues with small non-farm parcels creating irregular plowing patternsand other nuisances.

Agricultural lands have been fragmented bysmall divisions scattered throughout the County.Sustainable agricultural practices involveplanned techniques to prevent soil erosion, soilcontamination, non-point water pollution, andproductivity loss. Concerns have been voiced inthe more productive areas of the County thatencroachment by non-farm development

stymies sustainable practices or counterspractices already in place when the non-farmdevelopment does not show concern for suchpractices.

Since 1970, certain size land divisions in WoodCounty have been required to be reviewed priorto approval and recording. When first adopted,the Wood County Land Subdivision Ordinancerequired new lots of two acres or less to be splitby use of a certified survey map (CSM). That lotsize later changed to five acres, was againdecreased to two acres, increased again to fiveacres, and is currently at 10 acres. No matterwhat size lot was required to be reviewed at theCounty level, many more CSMs were developedto divide lots just a fraction over the reviewableacreage (i.e. 5.01 acres instead of 5.00 acres).That said, during the 1970s, about 1,100 acreswere divided into 760 new lots using certifiedsurvey maps. Many more lots were created bysubdivision plat. In the 1980s, another 1,400acres was taken out of agricultural or naturalresources categories for residential use. About640 lots were created via CSMs in the 80s. Inthe 1990s, yet another 3,150 acres created 990parcels scattered around Wood County and,since the turn of the century, about 2,225 acreshave resulted in another 874 parcels. In total,nearly 7,000 acres has been converted fromagricultural or natural resources uses to someother use via use of certified survey maps.Keep in mind that dozens of subdivision platswere also recorded during that timeframe,converting thousands of more acres. Townsthat have experienced such conversions of landneed to consider the impact of suchdevelopment on their community and how tobest manage that change. Many of those townshave local zoning ordinances and others areconsidering updating or creating zoningordinances at this time.

Highway relocation and existing uses.

As U. S. Highway 10 is relocated and widenedto a four lane facility early in the planning period,conflicts are likely to occur with demands forconversion of agricultural land near



interchanges. During construction of thehighway, the need for gravel for the road basemay cause conflicts between neighboringagricultural and non-farm residential and themining operations. The WisDOT and mineoperators should make every effort tocommunicate their timetables, methods andhours of operation of mining, and construction toneighboring properties. The WisDOT has heldseveral public open houses to discuss theirintent and scheduling.

Wisconsin Highway 54 is proposed to beextended from its present intersection withCounty Road W (Riverview Expressway) inWisconsin Rapids, southerly through GrandRapids to County Road Z (Griffith Avenue), thenwesterly across the Wisconsin River to theVillage of Port Edwards. Several conflicts mayoccur with this proposal. First, right-of-wayacquisition will result in the displacement of anumber of houses and some commercialproperties. Local streets will, in some cases, beclosed from direct access to the new roadcausing residents to have to develop new routesto their destinations. The new highway willcome very close to the South Wood CountyAirport (Alexander Field). The AirportCommission is investigating how to extend themain runway. It has been suggested that therunway will have to be turned slightly toaccommodate the runway extension and that thenew highway may interfere with that proposal.The Department of Transportation has beenworking closely with area communities. Ninecommunities, including Wood County, haveadopted resolutions to support the extension ofHighway 54. Unless funding opportunitieschange, it is likely that the extension will notoccur until late in the planning period orsometime thereafter.

Cranberry growing vs. floodplain/wetlandregulations.

Wood County is home to the largest inlandcranberry growing culture in the nation. Earlycranberry operations developed in low lying,high groundwater areas, marshes and other

wetlands. Wisconsin’s extensive “cranberrylaws” give the cranberry industry priority waterrights on some streams. This has causedconflicts in the past when streams were runninglow and water was diverted from those streamsto cranberry bogs. Other conflicts occur whencranberry growers store water in reservoirs fortheir flooding needs, backing water ontoneighboring properties or causing groundwaterconditions on neighboring properties to change.More recent conflicts have occurred whencranberry growers and county and state officialswho are responsible for floodplain managementinterpret codes and FEMA rules differently. Asthis plan is being written, Wood County officials,State agencies, FEMA and cranberry growerrepresentatives are working to come to anagreement on how the rules are to beinterpreted as they relate to cranberry growing inWisconsin.

Development pressures on natural resources.

In several community planning surveys, ruralresidents set a high priority on preserving thenatural resources and the rural character of theirtowns. They say they enjoy the wooded landsand the wildlife near their homes. Developmentin rural areas continues with little or no controlsin much of Wood County. The wildlife habitatthat rural residents say they value continues tobe destroyed when parcels are cleared for newhomes with little or no control over the locationof those homes.

Wood County also has an abundant supply offorestlands, wetlands and floodplains. AlthoughWood County, the State of Wisconsin and thepaper industry have practiced sustainableforestry, many private forestlands have beenfragmented over time as small parcels are splitoff for residential uses and hunting cabins. Withthe downturn in the paper industry, most of theirforestland has been sold to private individuals,some of whom are planning extensivedevelopments to the detriment of the forest andthe natural resources associated with theforests. Some development has encroachedinto the wetlands, resulting from either a loss of


Element 8: Land Use - 8

wetlands or a cost to the developer to removeany structures and restore the site to its naturalstate. Floodplains have become a bigger issuesince Hurricane Katrina devastated much of thesouth. Floodplain regulations also conflict withWisconsin laws that relate to the cranberryindustry. More is said about this in a precedingparagraph.

Ground and surface water contamination fromcertain kinds of land uses.

Wood County has a wide variety of soils thathandle water differently. Some residents haveexpressed concern that new lots in subdivisionseast of the Wisconsin River are too small toadequately treat septic system wastes. Use oflawn fertilizers and weed control chemicals cancause contamination of the groundwater fromwhich those residents rely for drinking water.Heavy clay soils in the northwest parts of thecounty require holding tanks to store householdwaste. Pumping holding tank wastes to have ithauled to a licensed disposal location isexpensive because of the frequent pumping thatis often required. Consequently, there has beena problem with illegal pumping of holding tanks.Hoses are run to road ditches, wetlands andneighboring farm fields. The untreated waste iswashed into neighboring properties andeventually into streams. Recent improvementsto Wood County’s monitoring of holding tankpumping events has resulted in improvementsand increased awareness of rural residents.

Hardwood Bombing Range.

The U. S. Department of Defense owns andoperates a bombing range in Juneau County.The range is used for live ordnance training ofmilitary air operations from throughout thecountry and, at times, for ally countries. Lowlevel flying, noise and safety are concerns andissues that are constantly being addressed bythe military at the operations headquarters atVolk Field. One example cited at a publicinformation meeting was the need to coordinatetraining schedules with aerial pesticideapplication companies. As cited, it is important

that aerial application planes are not flying at lowlevel in the area when bombers are dropping500 pound bombs from high altitudes or fightersare approaching for missile and strafing training.

The military proposed an expansion of thebombing range into Wood County in the 1990s,but that proposal has changed. At the time ofthis writing, the Department of Defense, with theassistance of the North Central WisconsinRegional Planning Commission, has beenmeeting with local units of government adjacentto the bombing range and with concernedcitizens near the facility to discuss issues and isproposing to develop a Joint Land Use Study, orJLUS. A JLUS is a cooperative land use planbetween the military and the surroundingcommunities. Its purpose is to promotecompatible community growth that supportsmilitary training and operational missions byidentifying actions that could and should betaken by both the community and the militaryinstallation to solve existing encroachmentproblems and prevent future ones. It helps thecommunities to understand the economic andphysical impact of an installation’s operationsand to evaluate the impacts of a community’sdevelopment decisions on the viability of theinstallation’s mission. The JLUS would helpbuild an avenue for communications betweenlocal units of government and the militaryinstallation and create an ongoing workingrelationship.

Opportunities for Redevelopment

The most efficient development makes use ofmunicipal services and infrastructure that arealready in existence and available fordevelopment. These opportunities typically existin cities and villages and, sometimes, in themore rapidly developing towns. There are fourcities and eight villages in Wood County. Mostof these have either municipal water, sanitarysewer or both in place at this time. Most alsohave capacity to accept additional connections.Also, in nearly every incorporated municipality,there are vacant buildings that are alreadyconnected to municipal infrastructure or there



are vacant lots that were either undeveloped orhave become vacant as the result of a buildingbeing removed for some reason. It is in thesecommunities that new development shouldconsider as a priority location. If municipalsewer and water is not a necessity for a smalldevelopment, they should consider locating incommunities that have good fire and policeprotection. Several Wood County towns fit thisdescription.

Relationship of Comprehensive Plans

A common topic of discussion surroundingcomprehensive planning is how the variousplans relate to each other. Among the variousplans there should generally be a level ofconsistency that is made possible byintergovernmental cooperation and effectivecommunication.

The Regional Plan

The regional plan is the most general in detailwith a focus on regional and multijurisdictionalissues. The plan sets general goals for theregion, and serves as a foundation fordeveloping more detailed County or local levelplans. The plan provides a good comparison ofcounties in the region and is only advisory.Wood County is in the North Central WisconsinRegional Planning Commission Area thatincludes Adams, Forest, Juneau, Langlade,Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, Portage, and Woodcounties. The regional plan was adopted in2003 and is an update of the 1981 plan calledthe “Framework for Development”.

The Wood County Comprehensive Plan

The County Comprehensive plan serves toaddress the issues that impact areas or parts ofthe County. This plan provides more detail thanthe regional plan, but is more general than locallevel plans. There should be consistencybetween the County Comprehensive Plan andCounty Ordinances. Wood County is requiredby Wisconsin Statute 66.1001 to have acomprehensive plan. As the Wood County

Comprehensive Plan was being developed,plans from the regional planning commission,those of surrounding counties and plans thatwere completed for Wood County communitieswere reviewed. An effort was made to provideconsistency between the Wood County plan andthe others, a consistency that can be seenthroughout most of the elements of thisdocument.

Municipal Plans

Of the three levels of plans, local plans shouldhave the highest degree of detail to guide thefuture of the municipality. Although local levelplans may reference the county and regionalplans to some extent and use them as afoundation to build off of, local level plans drilldown to local issues and provide clarity in regardto their specific local development goals andobjectives. Each of the four cities and sixvillages of the County, as well as 11 of the 22towns are required to have comprehensiveplans. Municipal plans must be consistent withlocal zoning ordinances and subdivisionordinances.

Wood County Land Use Ordinances

Wood County has a variety of ordinances listedin Table 8-1 that may regulate land usedepending on the location and naturalcharacteristics of lands, as well as the current orproposed land use of the property. Theordinances in Table 8-1 generally apply to theunincorporated areas of the County. Copies ofthe ordinances listed can be found on the WoodCounty web site at www.co.wood.wi.us.

Trends

To be able to plan the future land use of theCounty, it is necessary to have anunderstanding of some of the trends that impactland use. Table 8-2 shows trends that will likelyimpact land use in Wood County in the future.These trends were identified throughout thisplan, using census and other demographic data,existing land use inventories, previous land use



Table 8-2Land Use Trends in Wood County

1) Multiple family housing is being constructed in cities and villages that have sanitary sewer andwater services available.

Sanitary sewer service is necessary because private on-site septic systems are not cost effectiveoptions for multiple family housing in Wood County.

Municipal water service is necessary to provide the required water needed for multiple family use andto meet state fire protection codes.

2) The trend toward living in urban communities versus living in rural areas has stabilized, with aslight change toward preference to living in rural areas.

In 1980, 47.0% of Wood County’s population lived in rural communities. In 2000, the proportion of ruraldwellers increased to 48%.

Rural housing is expected to require up to 5,200 acres of land to be converted from its currentundeveloped status.

3) Urban area towns are growing faster than more rural towns.

4) More workers commute into Wood County than out, suggesting that business developmentand expansion opportunities in Wood County are strong.

5) Demand for access points on highways will increase as rural development occurs..

6) More telecommunications towers will appear on the landscape as the technology improvesduring the planning period and wind energy facilities will likely appear as a result of thenational and state policies on sustainability are pushed forward.

7) Availability of agricultural lands will continue to decrease and become fragmented, while thesize and type of ownership of farms will continue to change.

8) Parceling off of rural lands will continue as the demand for rural housing units grows.

9) New rural parcels will continue to fragment the vast forested lands in Wood County if localzoning does not channel proper placement of new development.

10) Land and forests owned by paper companies is being sold for private use, including newresidential development.

11) Reliance on the automobile will continue, increasing the need to build and maintain county andlocal roads.



studies and other information. The list is notmeant to be all inclusive, but to identify thosetrends that have the greatest impact on landuses in Wood County.

Future Land Use Map

Sometimes public perception of a future landuse map is that it is etched in stone. In reality, afuture land use map is dynamic and will changeover time, often driven by the economy of anarea. The future land use map provides readersand government leaders an outline of preferredland uses at the time the plan was written andadopted. It is a snapshot of preferred land uses

at a specific point in time. The future land usemap is presented in Figure 8-2. The 2025 futureland use map is an important part of thecomprehensive plan that can be used to helpguide future development within the County.The plan is long-range and general in nature,and will be reevaluated and amended as neededbased on input from residents and localcommunities.The process of creating a future land use map ischallenging. The challenge is complicated bythe many differing opinions as to what the bestfuture use of land may be. Environmentalistswant to see more open spaces and conservationof our natural resources. Developers wanthigher density developments to maximize

Land Use Trends in Wood County (continued)

12) Wood County will continue to have a strong economic development network.

13) Multiple family housing is being constructed in cities and villages that have sanitary sewerand water services available.

Sanitary sewer service is necessary because private on-site septic systems are not cost effectiveoptions for multiple family housing in Wood County.

Municipal water service is necessary to provide the required water needed for multiple family useand to meet state fire protection codes.

14) The trend toward living in urban communities versus living in rural areas has stabilized,with a slight change toward preference to living in rural areas.

In 1980, 47.0% of Wood County’s population lived in rural communities. In 2000, the proportion ofrural dwellers increased to 48%.

Rural housing is expected to require up to 5,200 acres of land to be converted from its currentundeveloped status.

15) More workers commute into Wood County than out, suggesting a good opportunity for newbusiness parks to attract small, medium and large industries.

16) Quality of life and sustainable community practices will increase demand for healthy livingopportunities such as parks and trails.

17) Medical and Information Technology industries are the fastest growing, consuming newacreages in city business parks.



profits. Some folks want to have total freedomto use their property as they choose, yet wanttheir neighbors to refrain from engaging incertain uses of the land so as not to be anuisance to them. Other challenges are alsopresent and include political philosophies orstatutory obligations, like the following:

Lack of consistency among future land useclassifications among future land use maps.One community’s “manufacturing” land usemay be another community’s “businesspark.”

Lack of adequate public participation inmany rural areas to effectively developdetailed future land use maps.

Inconsistency among future land useplanning among some adjacentmunicipalities. Similar to the first bullet point,the process itself may differ from community-to-community resulting in some unplannedareas and some areas where an overlap ofdiffering opinions occurs.

Some communities that have are statutorilyrequired to complete comprehensive plansby Jan 1, 2010 have not completed plans.This makes it difficult for the county plan toidentify the desires of the local, or grassroots, plan. It also makes it difficult forcommunities that are preparing land useplans to decide on the proper plan forboundary areas. It is important for adjacentmunicipalities to work together on theirplans.

Future Land Use Map Classifications

In developing the future, or preferred, land usemap for Wood County, it was the intent toincorporate local land use plans. At this time,not every town, village and city in Wood Countythat is required to enact a comprehensive planhas done so. The future land use map for WoodCounty shows those communities that arerequired to do a plan in gray with no detail. Thisalso includes the towns of Saratoga andMilladore, both of which have adoptedcomprehensive plans although not required todo so. Local land use maps are included at the

end of this document. For the balance of WoodCounty, very general land use classificationshave been applied. Those classifications aredefined in the following paragraphs.

Private Rural Development (PRD)Much of the rural land in Wood County is underthe jurisdiction of town government and nearlyall is privately owned. High percentages of landis considered undeveloped and used foragricultural purposes or considered forestry ornatural areas. Some rural residential uses arescattered through these areas. The future landuse map identifies the environmentally sensitivearea in the PRDs. The balance is expected tocontinue to develop with some residential andsome home occupation uses. Most of the PRDareas will remain in agricultural or some type ofopen resource areas.

Local Plan Communities (LPC)

This category includes towns, villages and citiesthat have completed local-level comprehensiveplans or are required to by 66.1001 Wis. Stats.It has been the intent of the Wood County Boardof Supervisors that the Wood CountyComprehensive Plan not preempt local goalsand objectives or local decision-makingauthority. Local Plan Communities, therefore,are “grayed out,” with local future land use mapsincluded at the end of this document. Thosemaps, where available, reveal the detail for theirlocal future land use.

Public Recreation and Forestry (PRF)

Public recreation and forestland represent all ofthe large tract State- and County-owned land inWood County.

Floodplain and Wetlands (FpW)

This classification identifies land that is classifiedas wetland by the Wisconsin Department ofNatural Resources (WDNR) and FederalEmergency Management Agency (FEMA)delineated floodplain. Development or



disturbances in these areas is very limited andunlikely in the future.

Growth Areas (GA)

The Growth Area designation identifies areas ofthe County that are adjacent to incorporatedmunicipalities that are able to provide a full arrayof community utilities and facilities. In thefuture, potential for development in these areasis appealing given the close proximity to utilitiesand services. In growth areas, local level plansshould still be referenced to determine moredetailed future land use. Growth areas havebeen established by placing a buffer aroundincorporated cities and villages of the County.

Specialized Agricultural Areas (SA)

This category includes land that is used forfarming cranberries. A significant amount ofinvestment goes into constructing cranberrybeds and future transition of this land to adifferent use is unlikely. Extensive discussionabout the cranberry industry appears in otherelements of this plan.

Goals and Objectives

A. Goal: Encourage local units ofgovernment to work with neighboringmunicipalities to develop comprehensiveplans that are consistent with each other.

B. Goal: Encourage Wood County towns todevelop zoning provisions to regulateplacement and operation of large corporatefarms and new non-farm residential uses.

C. Goal: Encourage cities and villages toinclude adequate provisions for multiplefamily and senior housing facilities in theircommunity comprehensive plans and zoningordinances.

1) The Wood County Planning and Zoningstaff can provide contact information foragencies and reference materials to helpcity and village planning commissioners

develop meaningful provisions formultiple-family and senior housing.

2) Assist local government officials in thecreation of innovative developmentreview standards and zoning provisionsso new development will meet theirplanning goals and protect theirinfrastructure.

D. Goal: Increase awareness of officials intowns and small cities and villages of theincreased interest in moving into theircommunities.

1) Non-farm residential dwellings requiredifferent considerations than farmdwellings.

2) Local zoning can be used to effectivelymix farm and non-farm uses. Planningstaff and UW Extension staff shouldcontinue to work to educate local officialsabout potential conflicts and possiblesolutions to these problems.

3) Encourage higher density developmentof urban area towns to locate nearercities and villages where sanitary sewerand municipal water is available and maybe needed in the future for the higherdensity developments and discouragesprawling, low-density development inthose areas where such facilities areavailable or can be extended in a cost-effective manner.

E. Goal: Encourage small cities and villagesthat have not had much businessdevelopment to plan for and provideadequate areas for future business growth intheir comprehensive plans and zoningordinances.

1) Assure that the pace of developmentdoes not exceed the ability of the smallcommunities to provide the capacity ofmunicipal sewer and water needed for



their residents as well as newbusinesses.

F. Goal: Develop a zoning model fortelecommunications towers and wind energyfacilities that will provide consistencythroughout Wood County.

1) Developers and the public need to knowwhat requirements and safety provisionsare set forth to protect the public health,safety, and general welfare of WoodCounty residents while makingdevelopment of these facilities bothfeasible and cost effective.

G. Goal: Encourage planning anddevelopment of land uses that create orpreserve varied and unique urban and ruralcommunities.

1) Promote new land development that iscompatible with local governmentcomprehensive plans.

2) Discourage development ofenvironmentally sensitive areas,including wetlands and floodplains.

3) Because of the vast expanses ofwetlands and floodplains, and the issuesthey have caused with certain types ofdevelopment, Wood County shouldcommission a details topographic studyto accurately pinpoint the County’sfloodplains.

H. Goal: Encourage preservation, restorationand reuse of historically significant buildingsreferencing success stories from othersimilar size communities.

1) Visit other communities to learn how theyrestored and reused old abandoned orvacant buildings creating an attraction fortheir community.

I. Goal: Encourage strong partnerships todevelop showcase industrial and business

parks and create joint boards to “sell” WoodCounty to developers.

J. Goal: Continue to work toward connectionof communities and major recreation areaswith multi-use trails.

1) Make use of various grant programs toexpand trial system.

2) Consider various trail user needs suchas bicycles, runners, off-roadtransportation (snowmobiles and ATVs)and equestrians.



Figure 8-2: Future Land Use Map



Future Land Use PlansThe last pages of this element include future land use plans of Wood County Towns, Villages and Citiesthat were adopted and incorporated into the Wood County Comprehensive Plan by reference as “LocalPlan Communities” on the Wood County Future Land Use Plan map on the preceding page. Not all localplans were completed prior to the Wood County Comprehensive Plan, but will be included in this elementas they are completed and adopted.



Figure LU-3FUTURE LAND USE

Town of CameronWood County

Co

Rd

A

WIH

wy

13/U

SH

wy

10

U S Hwy 10

LIN

CO

LN

MILL CREEK

Co Rd BB WA

SH

ING

TO

N

KLONDIKE

FR

ED

ER

ICK

CE

DA

R

WOLFF

U S Hwy 10

BB

20 21

2829

3332

19

30

31

Source: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.Wood County Planning & Zoning Office

October, 2006

N

Future Land Use - 2025

Agriculture

Low Density Residential

High Density Residential

Commercial

Industrial

Public Facilities

Utilities

Transportation

Environmental Corridor

DRAFT

DRAFT

DRAFT



V

10

H

YY

V

H

V

H

B

B

10

Y

13

BL

OC

HR

D

PINE LN

WEST LN

BB

BB

10

RO

BE

RT

AL

N

KIMBERLY DR

E. MCMI LLANST

EBBE RD

YELLOWRIVER RD

PARK LNPARK RD

SH

AD

YLN

FA

LC

ON

RD

RO

BIN

RD

PL

EA

SA

NT

RD

BRUSH RD

FA

LC

ON

RD

MILL CREEK DR

RANCH RD

RO

BIN

RD

MILL CREEK DR

RO

BIN

RD

FRANKLIN RD

WR

EN

RD

LIN

CO

LN

AV

LIN

CO

LN

AV

RDL

N

FAIR

HA

VE

NA

VE

TIMOTHY LN

HEREFORD LN

MC MILLAN ST

IVES ST

WESTBY RD OR

IOLE

LN

EA

GL

ER

D

FA

IRV

IEW

AV

FA

IRH

AV

EN

AV

LINCOLN SPENCER RD

ADLE

ARLINGTONAV

AIRPORT RD

RA

INB

OW

RID

GE

RD

SUNSET DR

BOB-O-LINK LN

RIVEREDGE CT

RIV

ERED

GE

DR

FIGURE 13

FUTURE LAND USE MAP TO THE YEAR 2010

TOWN OF LINCOLN

LEGENDN

Conservancy District

Recreation

Residential

Agricultural

0 0.5 1 Miles

The Future Land Use Map is developed to show how the Town isexpected to look during the 10-year planning period, based on recentgrowth trends and Town goals and objectives, policies andprograms. For example, in the areas identified as "agricultural",it is expected that the majority (not all) of growth in those areas willbe agriculture-related. The Future Land Use Map, which isrequired by Wisconsin Statute, is used to set the tone of theTown zoning provisions.

Power Lines

Pipelines

Prepared by Town of Lincoln Plan Commission andTown of Lincoln Citizens Advisory CommitteeWith Assistance of Wood County Planning & Zoning Office

May, 2002

Marshfield Sewer Service Area

(Residential)



/0 0.5 10.25 Miles

FUTURE LAND USE PLAN - 2020Town of Milladore

Wood County, Wisconsin

Source: "Wood County Land Atlas & Plat Book"Cloud Cartographics, 2007

Prepared By: Wood County Planning & Zoning OfficeOctober, 2007

George W. MeadState Wildlife Area S

tate

of

WI

State of WI

LEGEND

hwy 10 realignment

FUTURE_LU

Commercial/Light Industry

Conservancy

Mixed Use

Residential

DNR Wetland Inventory

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