LITTLE GEMS

Why it’s called the “comprehensive plan.” There’s controversy again about the enforcement of the provisions of the comprehensive plan.  Maybe it would be important to discuss one of the major reasons that all the communities, big and small, in Wisconsin submit comprehensive plans to the elected officials in charge.  One of the main reasons is all about what the people who live in and around the area can expect to be allowed to go on around them.

A comprehensive plan is a long-term planning document. It establishes the framework and key elements of a site reflecting a clear vision created and adopted in an open process. It synthesizes civic goals and the public’s aspirations for a project, gives them form and organization, and defines a realistic plan for implementation, including subsequent approvals by public agencies.  The community gets to enjoy the fact that property values will not fluctuate, especially downward, by the building of nearby high-density growth or a strip club or whatever.  The plan is not set up for modifications except on a many years’ basis between such modifications.  The City of Lake Geneva has a problem in leadership.

Both Mayor Mayor and Dan Draper, the city attorney, both want to make exceptions to the comprehensive plan for development of Hillmoor and also to allow a high-density development project at Summerhaven.  There’s going to be a public hearing on the Summerhaven exception.  But the comprehensive plan does not allow for exceptions.  It only allows for the entire comprehensive plan to be modified and that takes a great deal of analysis, study, planning and alternatives to be presented to first the entire voting population and then to the city council that has the authority to make the changes.

The city attorney, along with Mayor Mayor are wrong, and what’s more, they know they are wrong.  They are no doubt taking the great old ‘file suit if you don’t like it) approach to favoring certain companies, developers, and cronies.