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Farmland Protection Strategies in Southern Wisconsin
By Paul Benjamin, Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer
Protection
Four sets of local leaders made presentations at the Local Leadership
Session in Oconomowoc. Presenters included Renee Lauber, Land Use Manager
for the Town of Dunn; Lance Gurney, Director of the Sauk County Planning
and Zoning Department; Mike Saunders, Chair of the Town of La Prairie and
John Lader, President of the Rock County Towns Association; and Charlie
Handy, Planner for the LaCrosse County Planning Department. Town of Dunn Purchase of
Development Rights Program
Sauk County Planned Unit Development Approach Sauk County utilizes a unique planned unit development (PUD) approach to preserve agricultural lands. Farmland owners that wish to develop their land are required to prepare a whole farm plan that identifies significant natural and agricultural resources. In exchange for the right to develop up to three housing sites on their property, a permanent conservation easement is placed on the remaining land. The program relies on the county subdivision and zoning ordinances to allow planned unit developments through a conditional use permitting process. Developments must also comply with the county�s comprehensive and agricultural preservation plans. The PUD approach was designed to address several problems the county was experiencing under the state�s Farmland Preservation Program; namely that 35 acre chunks of farmland were being taken out of productive use to satisfy the program�s 35 acre minimum lot size. Town of La Prairie Farmland Preservation Efforts The Town of La Prairie, in Rock County, is located adjacent to an aggressive incorporated municipality. Their common border is occupied by a large vegetable canning plant that relies on the town�s agricultural lands for produce. The plant also produces a significant amount of "wash water" that is used for processing vegetables. Currently, the water is piped to nearby agricultural fields for irrigation. If the plant were required to send the wash water down city sewers, the resulting sewerage charge would drive up their costs enormously. Should this opportunity disappear, the canning plant could shut down eliminating a significant source of taxes and wages. It is in the city�s interests, therefore, to help keep the land adjacent to the city in farmland. The town plays a part by aggressively enforcing exclusive agricultural zoning. This kind of strategic thinking may be as effective as PDR or TDR programs considered by other communities, but significantly cheaper. La Crosse County PDR Proposal The last presentation in the Oconomowoc Local Leadership Session was made by Charlie Handy, planner for La Crosse County. His presentation was a "practice run" of a proposal that he was scheduled to give to the La Crosse County Board the following week. The audience acted the part of the county board while Charlie explained the principles behind "purchase of development rights" (PDR). He also identified some selection criteria for prioritizing lands. As one example, Charlie overlaid two maps showing where areas zoned for exclusive agriculture correspond with the county�s best agricultural soils. At the conclusion of the presentation there was a motion from the audience to approve his proposal and a unanimous vote affirming it!
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