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West Area Plan feedback summary, DRAFT Plan edit highlights, and additional public meetings announced

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City staff are announcing proposed changes to the DRAFT West Area Plan and additional public meetings.

As with other City plans, the West Area Plan is a long-term plan.  It will guide changes that occur over decades.  The Plan focuses on guiding changes to the physical aspects of our community and is structured around the Comprehensive Plan’s seven elements.

The West Area Plan’s recommendations are guided by adopted City policies and feedback from the community.  City policies include addressing a persistent housing shortage, allowing more people to live in close proximity to transit and businesses, improving connections among neighborhoods and between homes and jobs, and improving access to parks.  As with previous planning processes, the West Area Plan process seeks to incorporate robust public input about what people value most.

A summary of feedback received during Phase 3 of the process is posted here.  Phase 3 started in August 2023 and includes continuing community review of the Public Review DRAFT of the West Area Plan.  Hundreds of stakeholders, with a variety of perspectives, provided hundreds of comments at public meetings and events, via email, and directly in the Public Review DRAFT document.  The summary categorizes comments by topic, includes the approximate number of comments on similar topics, and includes specific stakeholder comments.  Feedback summaries are also available for Phase 1 and Phase 2.

Proposed Changes to the DRAFT Plan

City staff is making edits to the current DRAFT Plan, balancing public feedback received with City plans and policies.  Staff notes several changes that will be included in a marked-up DRAFT that have generated significant interest. Highlights are below (click the section heading to expand).

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Proposed Bike Paths

Remove a proposed north-south shared-use path from the Sauk Creek Greenway in favor of increased improvements to north-south bike routes on High Point and Westfield that will be safe for all ages and abilities of riders. Retain a planned east-west shared-use path connecting Brule Circle to Walnut Grove Park with detailed designs to occur during the Sauk Creek Greenway project. This change maintains a strong bicycle network while also maintaining the natural environment of the greenway.

Future Land Use Map

Changes to the future land use map were made that reflect what the public stated a strong value for, balanced with the need to support future growth. Changes include:

  • On the site of the Hill Farms Pool: revert the future land use designation to Low Residential from Medium Residential.
  • Along Dearholt Drive: revert the future land use designation to Low Residential from Low-Medium Residential.
  • At the northwest corner of Regent Street/Whitney Way: change land fronting Merrill Crest Drive from Neighborhood Mixed-Use to Low-Medium Residential to step down building heights on the western portion of the block.

Proactive Rezoning Proposals

Proactive rezoning proposals were removed in two locations based on public feedback: in the area of the Highlands and at the northwest corner of Regent Street/Whitney Way.

With this edit, rather than being addressed proactively in this planning process, rezoning requests would be addressed if and when they are proposed. Proactive rezoning has only been incorporated into planning processes in the last few years, and the City is continuing to evaluate how much detail to include in area plans, which covers significantly larger areas than previous plans.

Berwyn-Laub-Segoe Intersection

Remove Laub spur to Segoe from Berwyn, instead of removing the Berwyn connection to Segoe from Laub. Neighbors felt this edit would provide a safer configuration.   

Additional Edits

A more detailed markup of edits to Public Review DRAFT West Area Plan maps and actions, including additional edits beyond those summarized above, will be released by May 10.

Upcoming Public Meetings

A list of public information meetings on the revised DRAFT Plan are below. These meetings offer opportunities to learn more about the DRAFT Plan recommendations, ask questions, and provide additional feedback. More information on the meetings, including registration links for the virtual meetings, will be available on the project webpage.

  1. In-person Open HouseUpcoming

    May 20, 2024

    4pm - 7:30pm at High Point Church, 7702 Old Sauk Rd. (enter doors along the east side of the building; closest parking is in the rear lot)

  2. Virtual MeetingUpcoming

    May 28, 2024

    6pm - 7pm. Virtual meeting focusing on land use, zoning, and housing.

  3. Virtual MeetingUpcoming

    May 30, 2024

    6pm - 7pm. Virtual meeting focusing on transportation, including the Sauk Creek Greenway.

  4. In-person MeetingUpcoming

    June 3, 2024

    6pm - 8pm at Vel Phillips Memorial High School, 201 S. Gammon Rd. (enter doors facing Mineral Point Rd.); meeting will focus on land use, zoning, and housing.

  5. In-person MeetingUpcoming

    June 6, 2024

    6pm - 8pm at High Point Church, 7702 Old Sauk Rd. (enter doors along the east side of the building; closest parking is in the rear lot); meeting will focus on transportation, including the Sauk Creek Greenway.

What Comes Next

Following the additional public meetings and review of additional comments and feedback, staff will develop a Final DRAFT for further review and comment by City boards, committees, and commissions, which may propose further edits.

The Final DRAFT Plan -- and any edits recommended by boards, committees, and commissions -- will ultimately be reviewed by the Common Council.  Resident comments on the Final DRAFT West Area Plan will be considered by City boards, committees, commissions, and the Common Council.

Learn More

You can find more information about the West Area Plan, including past meeting recordings and slides, on the West Area Plan website.

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District 19 - Alder Guequierre

John Guequierre

Alder John P. Guequierre

District 19
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