Author: MKornmann

Creating Our Future Today!

Burnett County
Multi-Jurisdictional
Planning Project
Burnett County
Village of Grantsburg
Village of Webster
Town of Anderson
Town of Daniels
Town of Dewey
Town of Jackson
Town of Oakland
Town of Sand Lake
Town of Siren
Town of Trade Lake
Town of Union
Town of Webb Lake
Town of Wood River

www.burnettcounty.com/compplan

For years, you have been visiting your Burnett County lakeshore cabin. You also have been enjoying hunting and wildlife watching on a nearby 40 acres you own. One day, you may decide you would like some extra money to spend on a dream vacation to Europe, and one way to find the money is to sell part or all of your 40 acres.
To figure out what and how you can develop the 40 acres you visit the County Zoning Office. What you find out is that your property is zoned A2 (Agricultural Residential) and requires that new lots have minimum size of 10 acres each. Neighbors at your lakeshore home have three sets of friends that are looking to buy a 2 acre lot each in beautiful Burnett County. You are excited that you may have people already interested. There is one challenge facing you. The 10-acre minimum lot size requires lots that are too large for your potential buyers. The interested neighbor’s friends are really looking for smaller lots. They dislike spending time mowing, especially 10 acres of lawn. You also have concern because you use the land for hunting and wildlife watching and multiple 10-acre lots with houses may impact wildlife habitat and the sightings you are used to seeing. Over the years you have become famous among your lake friends and Facebook friends for posting trail cam photos of big bucks and bear on the internet.
What do you do? How can you develop your land and retain the open space you value so much? Currently, your only option would be to apply for a zoning variance including an application fee or go through a rigorous planned unit development review process.
The above scenario is not unusual. Current land policies attempt to achieve private and public interests by managing minimum lot sizes. However, this approach has its limitations and many times does not achieve either private or public goals.
The County of Burnett and many towns are working towards revising the land management policy in Burnett County through its comprehensive planning process. Managing net density is the approach planning committees and commissions are developing. Net density refers to the total number of homes/lots allowed to be created from a parcel, with flexibility in terms of the size of the lots.

Continued on page 2

Land Use - Net density Management	1
Public Information and Hearing Dates	2
County-wide Survey / Results	3
Survey results, continued	4
Housing	5
Utilities & Facilities	6
Economic Development	7
Transportation	8
Agriculture	9
Natural & Cultural Res. Resources	10
Land Use	11
Intergovernmental / Cooperation	12
Implementation	13

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Process and Accomplishments, continued

Public Information Meeting
Meeting will be informal for questions & answers
January, 19, 2010
6:30 pm
Room 165
B. C. Government Center
Public Hearing
February 9, 2010
6:30 pm
Room 165
B.C. Government Center

This new policy would allow land owners to develop the same number of lots under conventional zoning. However, flexibility would be added to allow a land owner to develop smaller lots as long as the “net density” remains the same.
For example, instead of subdividing a 40 acre parcel into four 10-acre lots, the land owner could subdivide three 2-acre lots and leave the remaining 34 acres as one large lot. In each scenario, four homes/lots could be developed but in different ways. Once the net density is achieved, no further subdivisions of the large lot would be allowed. With the net density approach, open space is preserved and smaller lots meet buyers needs.

A recent planning public opinion survey of year-round and seasonal residents in Burnett County said 62% favor “conservation” subdivisions where relatively smaller lots are clustered and open space is preserved compared to traditional subdivisions.

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County- wide Survey Results– Executive Summary

During the summer of 2009, the Survey Research Center (SRC) at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls sent comprehensive planning public opinion surveys to 2,165 residents and property owners of Burnett County. The surveys were followed up with a second mailing to non‐respondents. The overall response rate was 42 percent (909 completed questionnaires). The surveys provide estimates that are expected to be accurate to within plus or minus 4.6 percent.
For the complete survey results visit www.burnettcounty.com/compplan.
Key findings of this study include:
Quality of Life
The predominant reasons people gave for living in Burnett County were the natural beauty (64 percent) and recreational opportunities (55 percent).
More than 4 of 5 respondents rated the overall quality of life in Burnett County as good or excellent.
Services and Facilities
More than half of respondents rated fire protection, police protection, county parks, and county road maintenance as good or excellent.
One service, wireless telecommunication, had more than one‐half of all respondents in the County sample rating it fair or poor.
An overwhelming majority (87%) indicated they favor the sharing of community services if savings occurred and service quality was maintained.
ATV Usage
Most Burnett County property owners (92%) felt that ATV infrastructure (trails, signage, maintenance, etc.) should be funded through user fees.
A majority (56%) disagree that additional use of roads for ATVs is needed in their community.
County Budget
If allocating a surplus County budget, respondents would be most likely to cut taxes first, followed by distributing funds to emergency services, roads & bridges, and education.
Recreation funding would take the biggest cut if respondents were faced with a County budget deficit, followed by cuts to social services, and economic development.
Growth and Development
When Burnett County residents were asked their preference for how to pay for public infrastructure, the responses were fairly equally distributed: 36 percent prefer taxes, 32 percent prefer user fees, and 28 percent prefer development impact fees.
When paying for public services, 54 percent prefer taxes, 24 percent user fees, and 16 percent prefer development impact fees.

continued on page 4

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Survey Results continued...

Residential Development
A substantial majority of property owners in Burnett County (69 percent) favor rural developments that use cluster designs (smaller lots with shared open space) over traditional designs (larger lots with little or no shared open space).
Majorities of respondents support the clustering of residential lots to preserve forest land, natural and environmental features, rural open space, and productive agricultural land.
Seasonal Rentals
A very solid majority of respondents agree that noise limits on outdoor use of property should be imposed during late hours.
A majority of respondents agree that septic systems should be designed and maintained to support the number of guests.
Nearly one‐half of respondents disagree with requiring landscaping along side property lines.
Twenty‐one percent of respondents believe that short‐term rental of residential units should not be allowed.
Nearly two‐thirds of seasonal residences are used five or more months annually.
Economic Development
When asked what types of businesses are the most important for Burnett County to attract, tourism and recreation businesses were deemed the most important followed by health care services.
A majority of respondents agreed that restaurants, cocktail lounges, and resorts are appropriate commercial uses on waterfront property adjacent to residential development.

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Housing

Burnett County’s plan for population and housing is to be prepared for projected growth and to encourage the development and redevelopment of housing that contributes to the fulfillment of county and local comprehensive plans. Burnett County as a whole is expected to experience steady growth over the next 20 to 25 years at a rate faster than that of the State of Wisconsin. From the county perspective, the primary issues and opportunities related to these expected changes are the diversifying needs of the population (e.g., the aging segment of the population, increasing racial diversity, changing housing needs, etc.) and the potential impacts of housing growth on the landscape, economy, and cost of providing public services and utilities. In order to ensure a desirable future for the county landscape, economy, and public service costs, the county’s top population and housing priority is to encourage the
development and redevelopment of rural housing that:
Preserves rural character.
Does not conflict with productive lands, both agricultural and forest land.
Makes efficient use of community facilities and services.

Housing Recommendations Summary
Consider alternatives to how land is developed to minimize land use impacts while accommodating development and natural features through managing overall density of development and through clustering and conservation design.
Provide for enough land to meet forecasted housing demand while retaining rural and small town character.
Scattered low density residential development shall only be allowed in accordance with growth management regulations. Plans should promote and encourage growth in areas near urban centers and areas with sewer and water.
Increase understanding of the private development market and the relationship to public regulatory conditions that shape it; the result is an informed leadership and clarity of choices when developing housing and land use related policy.

Did you know?
The average house in Burnett County was built in 1974.
Forty-five (45) percent of the dwelling units in the county are seasonal (2000 Census). In 1990 the percentage was 50 percent.
Affordable housing is defined as paying no more than 30% of the total household income for housing related costs. The average monthly affordable housing cost is $855 per month based on $34,218 (median household income, US Census 2000)
Housing growth is expected to increase between 10 - 26% by 2030 in the county.

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Utilities and Community Facilities

Burnett County’s plan for utilities and community facilities recognizes that it has direct responsibilities in some areas, and that local units of government also provide a vast array of utilities and services. As such, this plan includes policy guidance relative to the county’s primary areas of responsibility: county buildings, county administrative facilities and services, law enforcement including the County Sheriff and County Circuit Court, county parks and recreation, solid waste disposal and recycling, county highways, and social services. And in recognition of locally provided utilities and services, this plan also advocates for sound decision making at the local level. Several important trends are expected to impact units of government throughout Wisconsin and the U.S.
Limited availability of public funds at all levels;
Increasing demand for services as a result of population and housing growth;
Aging infrastructure and the associated costs
Rising fuel and energy costs.
These challenges are defined by the combination of shrinking government budgets, the need to maintain existing infrastructure, and the potential need to expand services with new growth.

Did you know?
There are 17 public or private campgrounds in the county.
The sewer service capacity in the Siren Sewer District is 115,000 gallons per day and its average daily use is 76,000.
The sewer service capacity in the Webster Sewer District is 85,000 gallons per day and its average daily use is 51,000 gallons per day.
There are nearly 300 miles of snowmobile and ATV trails in the county.

Utilities and Community Facilities Recommendations
Summary
Maintain adequate levels of service in the areas where it is directly responsible to provide such services.
Balance the level of service delivery with the cost implications to county taxpayers.
Encourage the management of land use in a way that facilitates efficient expansion of utilities and services.
Encourage the construction of new utilities and community facilities in a way that upholds the rural character and economic base of the county.
Help coordinate Sewer Service Area planning with sanitary districts and with other sewer providers to coordinate expansion of facilities in concert with growth management plans.
Help protect the quality and quantity of groundwater through such activities as wellhead protection coordination, public education, and proper land use practices.
Continue the coordination of shared, joint and emergency services.
Ensure a sufficient quantity of suitable land is set aside for parks and recreational purposes.

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Economic Development

Burnett County’s plan for economic development is to provide leadership in support of and in cooperation with local economic development efforts, to maintain the quality of life that attracts residents, visitors, and businesses to the area, to help maintain a supply of land that is suitable for
commercial and industrial development, and to support local communities in helping to ensure that future commercial and industrial development use quality construction and site design that preserve the rural and small town character of the county. In addition to this overall vision, the top economic development priorities for the future, as identified during the multi-jurisdictional
comprehensive planning process, can be characterized as the following:
Retain and grow existing businesses and attract new businesses – a balance of both is needed.
Better connect education and other workforce development efforts with local business and industry workforce needs.
Preserve a critical mass of land to support productive land uses (i.e., agriculture and forestry) and their network of related businesses and other economic activities.
Leverage the county’s natural resources, parks, and public lands to promote tourism and quality of life for current and future residents.

Economic Development Recommendations
Summary
Collaborate with local economic development officials on a countywide economic development approach ♦ Utilize economic development related grants, programs, or tax incentives to improve economic development in the county.
Generally guide intensive commercial and industrial development to the villages or to where services and facilities are in place to support it.
Promote and support redevelopment of downtowns and underutilized sites, and generally improve municipal downtowns and overall community design.
Develop strategies that promote business retention, expansion, and recruitment.
Focus on key economic development strategies: retaining existing businesses and companies, nurturing rural entrepreneurship, pursing tourism- and recreation-based development, and supporting home-based businesses.

Did you know?
The largest payroll by economic sector is manufacturing at $34,651,794.
Thirteen percent of the workers who live in Burnett Count commute to Minnesota.
The median household income in Burnet County is $34,218. The Wisconsin median household income is $43,791.
Dairy farming accounts for 330 jobs and $79.4 million dollars of economic impact.
According to the Wis. Dept. of Tourism, Burnett County ranks 49th out of 72 counties in tourism revenue. (2007)

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Transportation

Transportation Recommendations
Summary
Maintain the condition and functionality of state and county highways within the county’s jurisdictional authority and make improvements primarily to address safety concerns.
Coordinate and manage development to minimize the impact on the transportation system while maximizing return on public investment through:
access control standards to ensure safe access and function
ordinances and specifications directing
development and construction standards
development coordination through planning review and design
Support transportation, railroad, and airport improvements that support the economic base of the county.
Work with local and regional governments to create bicycle and pedestrian linkages between neighborhoods, subdivisions, and communities.

Did you know?
There are 220 miles of county highways in the county and all roads total 1,457 miles.
Highway traffic counts (Average Annual Daily Traffic) totals for Hwy 70 in Siren is 4,600, Webster 3,900, Grantsburg 3,600, and Danbury 1,300. (2007 WIDOT)
In all but one year between 19999-2006, there were over 100 injury auto crashes annually. Over the same time period there were over 140 property damage crashes each year.

Burnett County’s plan for transportation is to continue to provide a safe, efficient, and
cost-effective transportation system, to support the expansion of multiple modes of
transportation, particularly through improved consideration of bicycle and pedestrian routes, to promote well planned
connectivity of road and highway networks, and to provide leadership and technical
assistance to local communities. Key tools for implementation of the county’s plan for
transportation include modifying the county zoning and subdivision ordinances to
promote better development design, updating county highway construction specifications and the county driveway ordinance,
and providing model ordinances
and specifications for adaptation by interested communities. The Transportation element goals, objectives, policies, and recommendations provide further detail on how Burnett County’s plan for transportation will be achieved.

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Agriculture

The county’s plan for agricultural resources is to provide a framework for towns to preserve agricultural lands and the right to farm while also allowing for planned development. Higher density residential development should be directed to areas that are less suitable for agricultural use, while lower density development would be allowed on lands critical to the county’s agricultural base. Key components and considerations of the county’s approach include establishing a maximum lot size in certain areas, limiting major development to planned growth areas, encouraging conservation land division design, establishing site planning guidelines, and
implementing the Purchase of Development Rights Program. Agricultural uses comprise approximately 11% of the county.

Did you know?
Milk production in the county has increased 7% between 2004—2007.
Burnett County Agriculture is a $97.3 million industry which generates more than 800 local jobs, $27.7 million.
in local income, and pays about $2.2 million in taxes (not including property taxes paid to local schools).
Over 72,000 acres of the county is considered prime farmland (NRCS).
The average size farm in Burnett County is 181 acres (2007).
In 2007, 531 farms existed in Burnett County.

Agricultural Resource
Recommendations Summary
Retain agriculture as a vital part of the county’s economy.
Minimize non-farm development in predominantly agricultural areas.
Designate specific areas within the county suitable for intensive agricultural purposes.
Manage and coordinate land divisions in the unincorporated areas of Burnett County in conjunction with local and county plans.

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Natural and Cultural Resources

Burnett County’s plan for natural and cultural resources is to help ensure that existing regulations are followed in the county and to manage growth to prevent negative impacts to these resources. Natural and cultural resources are abundant in the county and are highly valued by the county’s residents. Preserving rural character, forest resources, and outdoor recreational opportunities are primary concerns as reflected in the county’s goals and objectives, its issues and opportunities, and the results of the planning process surveys. Many of the same tools that will be used to protect agriculture will also be used to protect natural and cultural resources, including a maximum residential lot size, conservation land division design, site planning guidelines, the zoning map, and a possible transfer or purchase of development rights program. In addition the county will require substantial development proposals to assess potential natural and cultural resources impacts.

Did you know?
Over 75% of the county’s ground water is less than 20 feet below the surface.
Over 24% of the county’s surface area is either surface water or wetlands.
The tree varieties in the Burnett County Forest include the following in order of greatest percentage: Aspen (23.5%), Jack Pine (21.4%), Oak (14.9%), Red Pine (13.7%).
There are 262 architectural and history inventory sites identified by the Wisconsin Historical Society.
There are 9 historic places that are listed on either the state or federal register of historic places.

Natural and Cultural Resources
Recommendations Summary
Support regulations and management tools to protect established sensitive ecological areas like wetlands and floodplains.
Work to preserve and enhance surface water quality in the county’s lakes and streams.
Protect groundwater quality and quantity.
Promote tourism and economic development related to natural resources.
Encourage cooperative planning and integrated land management on lands within the county that are owned and/or managed by the WDNR, the Federal Government, and Native American Indians.
Develop a historic features database for historic sites and structures with the intent to protect and preserve known archeological and historic sites for both public and private benefit.
Promote heritage tourism.
Apply for grants and other funding sources to acquire and/or maintain sites of historical significance.

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Land Use

The future land use plan is one of the central
components of the comprehensive plan that can be used as a guide by county and local officials when considering development and
redevelopment proposals. When considering
the role of the future land use plan in decision making, it is important to keep the following characteristics in mind.
A land use plan is an expression of a preferred or ideal future – a vision for the future of the county.
A land use plan is not the same as zoning. Zoning is authorized and governed by a set of statutes that are separate from those that govern planning. And while it may make sense to match portions of the land use plan map with the zoning map immediately after plan adoption, other portions of the zoning map may achieve consistency with the land use plan incrementally over time through revisions of associated policy.
A land use plan is not implemented exclusively through zoning. It can be implemented through a number of fiscal tools, regulatory tools, and non-regulatory tools.
The plan is not static. It can be amended when a situation arises that was not anticipated during the initial plan development process.

Land Use Recommendations Summary
Development proposals need to meet the intent of the respective Future Land Use Management Area on the Future Land Use Map as described in the Land Use element of the comprehensive plan.
New development shall be sited in accordance with county subdivision policy and zoning regulations (where they exist) and be coordinated to benefit from existing utilities and service facilities.
Modify the County Subdivision Regulations and Zoning Ordinance by incorporating density management regulation
Add cluster development options to the Subdivision Ordinance and consider allowing density bonuses
Based on the local comprehensive plans and public input, this plan advocates for the establishment of improved site plan and design review standards and processes.

Did you know?
The county has over 191,000 acres of public land owned by the federal, state, and the county.
Private property is being preserve voluntary by property owners through conservation easements. At least 626 acres of private land are currently protected through nonprofit land trusts.
From 1998 to 2007 there were 2,111 building permits issued in Burnett County.
Sixty-three percent of the land in the county is privately owned.
From 1997-2007 residential land use increased from 6.3% of the total land area to 7.4%. Over the same time period, agriculture land decreased from 14.2% to 11%. (WIDOR Assesements).

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Intergovernmental Cooperation

Burnett County’s plan for intergovernmental cooperation is to provide leadership to ongoing intergovernmental cooperation efforts, to maintain the momentum built during comprehensive planning by keeping land use planning and implementation issues in an intergovernmental setting, and to tackle the tough issues of providing services in the face of shrinking budgets by employing creative intergovernmental approaches. Burnett County has a long history of intergovernmental cooperation, and that relationship has been enhanced through the cooperation experienced in the multi-jurisdictional planning process. The importance of intergovernmental cooperation in Burnett County is evidenced by the fact that it is folded into nearly every other element of the county comprehensive plan. Burnett County will implement its plan for intergovernmental cooperation by considering and pursuing opportunities for sharing of resources, joint purchasing, and service consolidation. Accomplishing many of the county’s planning goals will be facilitated by maintaining the County Planning Committee as an active forum for the discussion and exploration of intergovernmental conflicts and opportunities.

Did you know?
Wisconsin has 2,500 units of government and special purpose districts.
Burnett County is host to 34 units of government including the County of Burnett, St. Croix Tribe of Chippewa Indians, 3 villages, 21 towns, 3 primary school districts (several others are partially in the county), 3 lake rehabilitation districts, 2 sanitary districts, 6 fire protection districts.
Wisconsin ranks 13th nationwide in total number of governmental units and 3rd nationwide in governmental units per capita.

Intergovernmental Cooperation
Recommendations Summary
Support local community efforts on ongoing discussions to cooperate and resolve conflicts, including potential land use and boundary agreements.
Continue to coordinate and share plans with adjacent communities and overlapping jurisdictions to match land use plans and coordinate policies along municipal boundaries to promote consistency and minimize potential conflicts.
Continue cooperative planning efforts with towns, cities, villages, districts, associations agencies, and service providers to leverage input and ownership of results.
Invite affected communities in, or adjacent to, Burnett County to any future meetings in which amendments or updates to the comprehensive plan are made or discussed.
Amend the Future Land Use Map (Map 8-1) of the Burnett County Comprehensive Plan only at the recommendation of the affected town.

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Implementation

In order for a plan to have value beyond the planning process itself, it must be implemented. Plan polices and recommendations need to integrate with existing codes, ordinances, and related land use management where applicable. In areas where plans do not have the associated tools for implementation, there implementation recommendations should clearly identify viable solutions.
Burnett County’s comprehensive plan was developed with implementation in mind. Not only can useful policy guidance for decision making be found in each planning element, but an action
plan is also provided containing specific programs and recommended actions. An action plan is intended to jump start the implementation process and to provide continued focus over the long term. During the comprehensive planning process, a detailed framework for implementation was created that will serve to guide the many steps that must be taken to put the plan in motion.

This action plan outlines those steps and recommends a timeline for their completion. Further detail on each task can be found in the policies and recommendations of the related planning element as noted in the Task statement. Note that the Responsible Parties column denotes either a lead entity or agency and, in italics, key partners.
Recommended actions have been identified in the following areas:
Plan Adoption and Update Actions
Intergovernmental Cooperation Actions
Ordinance Development and Update Actions
Strategic Planning Actions
See Chapter 9 of the Plan Recommendations Report to see the specific action plan.

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Written Comment For Burnett County Comprehensive Plan 2030
This written comment is intended for those who cannot attend the public hearing.
Name: _____________________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________________________________________________
Do you own property in this municipality? YES NO
Do you live in this municipality? YES NO
Please check one of the following and provide constructive feedback.
I support the comprehensive plan as presented. Some of the reasons I support the plan are provided below.
I would support the comprehensive plan with the following changes (provide changes below).
I do not support the comprehensive plan as presented and have provided my reasons why below.
Comments:
You may turn in a completed comment form at the public hearing or mail it to the following address within
10 days of the public hearing date (February 9, 2010).
Contact Address listed here: BC Comp Plan
7410 County Road K #107
Siren, WI 54872
THANK YOU for your participation!

Comprehensive Plan—Vision 2030
County of Burnett
www.burnettcounty.com/compplan

7410 County Road K #107
Siren, WI 54872

Transportation Recommendations
Summary

Moving Toward Net Density Management
How You Can Get Involved
Public Information Meeting Schedule
Survey Results
Recommendation Summaries