SMART
GROWTH - Controversy
Boundary Wars
In 1916 this city had clear, squared-off borders (dark purple
area). Today the boundary (light purple area) is confusing, inefficient,
and a source of costly litigation between the city and adjoining
town.
The new Smart Growth law makes intergovernmental cooperation
a required element of a Comprehensive Plan. However, the legislation
provides no specific guidelines or mechanisms for resolving disputes.
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Growth
 Property Rights
This lake’s cluttered shore contains 60 homes per shoreline
mile, six times the state average. Some of the build-up of sediment
on the lake bottom can undoubtedly be traced to the dense development
and inappropriate landscaping practices. Shoreline habitat important
to fish, waterfowl, and other acquatics has been significantly
reduced. Planning here has taken a back seat to property rights
-- will Smart Growth policies be able to balance the two?
It’s easy for us to claim what we do on our properties
is our business. This would be true if air, water, views, and
noises never extended beyond our relatively small property borders.
Therefore, planning must strive to balance individual desires
with community interests.
Due to weak prices for farm commodities, farmers have increasingly
claimed the right to develop some of their land as a source of
income and/or retirement funding. This will cause conflicts in
areas where farmlands are zoned Exclusive Ag and Smart Growth
plans discourage land divisions for residential or commercial
purposes.
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Growth
Public Ownership
The pumpkin and tan colored areas along the Lake Michigan shoreline
indicate residential zoning and development extending almost
uninterrupted from the south side of the City of Sheboygan about
15 miles to the Ozaukee County line. The lone exception is Kohler-Andrae
State Park (the light blue area). It takes little imagination
to realize that public access to the beaches, dunes, and water
of beautiful Lake Michigan would be virtually non-existent in
the south half of the County if not for the public purchase and
establishment of the State Park.
However . . .
Although several studies have shown that public
land purchases have no negative impact on the local tax base,
and that keeping a lake totally undeveloped is great for its
ecosystem, public ownership and  development restrictions on
some lakes can lead to further crowding and degradation of other
lakes.
Smart Growth planning must be comprehensive enough to deal
with domino effects like this one.
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Growth
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