Here it is again.
----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Connors
To: Richard Woulfe
Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2005 9:05 AM
Subject: Watercooler
Dick:
I would appreciate it if you would post the following message on the Observer Sight for comment.
There appears to be a great deal of concern, and a bit of misunderstanding, about what the recommended "Smart Growth" comprehensive plan says about the future of E. Main St. east of Union St. On the plan's Interim Future Land Use Map and Future Land Use Map, most of E. Main St. from Franklin Park and the Citgo station to roughly Countryside Dr. is marked with red and white crosshatching, which the legend says means "USH 14 Gateway Mixed Use." The plan contains the following text (excerpt) about that category of future land use: "An opportunity exists in this area to allow a blend of compatible residential and commercial uses. Residential and commercial uses may be concurrent within the same building. All uses within this district should be conducted entirely within an enclosed building, and no outside displays would be allowed. Examples of uses that are may be permitted in this area include: dentist offices, professional offices, home occupations, small retail shops (e.g., floral, craft, candy store) and the like."
To implement this part of the plan, the city probably would create a new zoning district that would permit the kinds of low-intensity commercial uses to occur within existing houses on E. Main. St. Any proposal to tear down an existing house and replace it with a store or apartment building would require different zoning, which would be prohibited because it is inconsistent with the plan. Current property owners would then have the opportunity to sell their houses to investors or business owners or to seek to open their own shops by applying for rezoning to this new "mixed use" zoning district.
The plan also calls for a USH 14 bypass outside of the city. However, the city cannot unilaterally cause a bypass to happen. If the plan is adopted containing a provision supporting a bypass, city officials will work with our members of the Legislature to get this bypass on the list of bypasses to be studied. That would be the first step in a process that likely would take 20 years before construction of the bypass actually would start.
By adopting the recommended plan, the city would not be declaring that the E. Main St. neighborhood is blighted, unsightly, or unattractive. The plan contains a report of a citizen exercise in which some citizens labeled this area "unattractive," but the city would not be adopting or endorsing that characterization by adopting the plan.
The city has no plans to declare this area as "blighted" so that existing houses can be condemned, torn down, and replaced by new commercial structures. Any attempt to do this would not be consistent with the recommended plan.
Bill Connors
Evansville City Administrator
31 S. Madison St.
P.O. Box 76
Evansville, WI 53536
(608) 882-2263
fax: (608) 882-2282
Evansville City Administrator
31 S. Madison St.
P.O. Box 76
Evansville, WI 53536
(608) 882-2263
fax: (608) 882-2282