Comprehensive “Smart Growth” Plan
Town of Milltown, Polk County, Wisconsin

Foth worked with a Public Advisory Committee (PAC) consisting of local officials, residents and landowners to prepare a plan to help guide local decisions concerning conservation and development over the next twenty years.

Foth helped the town of Milltown acquire $20,000 in WDNR Lake Planning Grants and a $10,000 Comprehensive Planning Grant from the Wisconsin Department of Administration to fund the planning effort.

Challenges:

• Intergovernmental Cooperation: The town of Milltown planning effort involved cooperation and communication with neighboring towns and the adjacent villages of Milltown and Balsam Lake to develop a plan that promotes consistent land use and decision-making along municipal borders. In addition, the town worked with local Lake Associations to compliment their planning efforts relative to providing public access, protecting water quality, identifying environmentally sensitive areas and establishing appropriate densities for future lake development.
• County Coordination: The town of Milltown is under the jurisdiction of the Polk County Zoning Ordinance. The town worked closely with the county to create preferred land use classifications that would allow for integration of the town plan into the county’s Comprehensive “Smart Growth” Plan.
• Public Input: The town held three Public Informational Meetings, conducted a Public Hearing, and provided postcard notices to residents and land-owners prior to each meeting. The town also established a municipal web page, www.foth.com/client/milltown to provide additional information to the public about the planning process.

Benefits:

• Local Decision Making: Communication with Polk County has allowed the town and county to establish a mutually beneficial land use decision making process concerning rezoning requests, conditional use permits and land divisions. The town’s Comprehensive “Smart Growth” Plan serves as a guide for both local and county officials concerning development within the town of Milltown.
• Consensus Building: Public input throughout the planning process allowed the town to balance community interests and individual property rights.
• Implementation Tools: An “Action Plan” was developed to prioritize tasks. The town has since established a Plan Commission as an advisory body to the Town Board, and its own Land Division Ordinance.