Below is our "No Rezoning" advertisement.
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No Rezoning! |
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NO to the Kraemer Co. Sand Pit Stick with the Plan! • Current zoning does not allow long-term sand pits.• The proposed site is zoned “Resource Conservancy District – 35”.• The proposed use violates the goals of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.• If approved, all RC-35 zoned parcels will be at risk.Get Involved! • Call or write the Town of Spring Green Board and Plan Commission members.• Attend the November 14th 7PM Plan Commission meeting at the Spring Green Town Hall, E4411 Kennedy Road.• Attend our group meetings.River Valley Concerned Citizens Visit our web site for more information |
September 1, 2006
Town of Spring Green
PO Box 216
E4411 Kennedy Road
Spring Green, WI 53588
Re: Proposed Kraemer Company Land Use Change Petition
Board and Plan Commission Members:
The Town of Spring Green has developed a Comprehensive Plan through political leadership, citizen participation, and professional assistance. The Plan’s 8 major elements state goals and objectives which have, through thoughtful deliberation, established a common vision for the community’s future. While, by its own admission, it is only a guide and should be flexible in implementation, actions and decisions which do not respect the stated goals, objectives, and integrity are strongly discouraged.
The Kraemer Company seeks approval for the operation of a non-metallic mineral extraction facility on a land parcel currently zoned ‘Resource Conservancy District-35’. In order to accommodate this proposed use, the Comprehensive Plan will require modification with the specific parcel’s removal from its current designation. Regardless of the specific language and terminology used, this proposed use is mining, and certainly use of heavy equipment used in the extraction and hauling of ‘mined material’ is an industrial exercise.
This proposal is troubling for several reasons:
1. This proposed rezoning runs counter to stated goals and objectives in Plan Elements 6 (Agricultural, Natural, and Cultural Resources) and Element 7 (Land Use).
a. Element 6 - Agricultural, Natural, and Cultural Resources
i. Discourage residential subdivision and other commercial or industrial use within the Resource Conservancy District-35.
ii. Discourage other land uses and activities with the Resource Conservancy District-35 which conflict with agricultural use or adversely affect long-term agricultural investment.
iii. Encourage environmentally appropriate land uses that protect all the resources of the Town.
b. Element 7 – Land Use
i. Maintain the continuity of the Resource Conservancy Districts, throughout the Town, in accordance with the stated policies of this plan. Rezoning out of the Resource Conservancy Districts shall not be permitted unless identified as furthering the plan goal and objectives. This plan acknowledges Chapter 22 of the Sauk County Ordinance regarding land division.
ii. Minimize potential conflict between agriculture and residential areas by separating their placement.
2. The environmental impact of this proposed use in this location is entirely unknown with respect to the following areas (among others):
a. Drinking Water
b. Noise
c. Traffic
3. The negative visual and physical impact of this proposed use for both residents and tourists along this ‘gateway’ to the northern edge of the Wisconsin River Valley along State Highway 60.
4. The Plan speaks strongly of a conservation ethic and the need for thoughtful deliberation in the face of any modifications. Approval of this modification will potentially jeopardize the integrity of the Comprehensive Plan itself and the collaborative process used to develop it. The purpose which the Kraemer Company proposes for this parcel seems so completely foreign to the conservation ethic that its approval could set a dangerous precedent for other land parcels in the future.
For these reasons, we strongly recommend that the Town of Spring Green Plan Commission and the Town Board not make modifications to the Comprehensive Plan outside the formal planning process nor in response to the Kraemer Company’s proposal. We strongly support both the comprehensive planning process and the resulting framework of goals and objectives encompassed by the Town of Spring Green Comprehensive Plan. Additionally, we urge the community to continue to embrace and respect the shared vision this document represents.
Derek Engelen
Jan Neubauer-Engelen
E5646 Jones Road
Spring Green, WI 53588
cc: Village of Spring Green
The Home News, Spring Green
The Wisconsin State Journal, Madison
Senator Dale Schulz
Representative Stephen Freese
LWRB – Don Greenwood
WISC TV, Madison
Dodgeville Chronicle, Dodgeville
Mary Merlie – SG Plan Commission
Joni Graves – SG Plan Commission
Irv Snyder – SG Plan Commission
Jerry Schmidt – SG Plan Commission
Fred Lausly – SG Plan Commission
Bennie Stenner – SG Board Chairman
James Blau – SG Town Clerk
Anita Bindl – SG Town Treasurer
Lester Wiese – Sauk Co. Supervisor
Halsey Sprecher – Sauk Co. Supervisor
Joel Gaalswyk – Sauk Co. Supervisor
Gerald Lehman – Sauk Co. Supervisor
Dave Lorenz – Sauk Co. Planning & Zoning
Brian Zimmert – Sauk Co. Board of Zoning Adj.