Petition
July 2, 2007 Village Board of Trustees Village Planning Commission Members 221 E. Cottage Grove Road Cottage Grove, WI 53527 Dear Members of the Village Planning Commission & Village Board of Trustees: We, the undersigned citizens, respectfully request that the Village Board of Trustees and Plan Commission deny the citizen's request for amendment to the Village's Comprehensive Land Use Plan that would change the designation of The Farm golf course to residential from their current designations as recreation/open space. We put forth this request for the following reasons: - We wish to preserve the small town character of Cottage Grove and its identity as "Tree Village USA." Greenspace in Cottage Grove is important to the quality of life and beauty of the village/town and is decreasing. There is no significant greenspace left in the master plan inside the Village. There is no compelling need at this point to make this change since there is significant land already designated for residential development in the master plan including the Veridian development to the North of the new middle school and there are over 100 homes and lots for sale in Cottage Grove now. - Proposed new development will drastically increase traffic into and out of Cottage Grove and increase the need for services from the Village. Previous high density development plans for The Farm golf course have included from 300 to 500 housing units which would house anywhere from 600 to 2000 new residents. The new residents could add between 600 to 1000 cars to the traffic on Vilas Road, Cottage Grove Road, and Highway N. The Village may need to raise taxes to widen these roads and add stop lights in addition to providing other village services. - Changing the designation will decrease the likelihood of development of a "compromise plan" proposed by the owners that included the possibility of a “Community Park.” The owner's "compromise plan" included 35 acres of wetlands conservancy and lower density which would greatly benefit the Village and the Town. The owners are not developers and will not develop their plan. Once the designation is changed, the property will be sold to a developer who will bring their own plan which will probably be high density residential development to maximize their profit (Previous 2005 developer plan for The Farm is below). The Village has a long range plan on its website to build a new 20 to 50 acre “Community Park.” The Farm golf course would be an ideal centrally located location that is already landscaped with trails. Fireman's Park is close by but is really a sports complex. - Proposed new development could stress schools especially pre-kindergarten through 4th grade. Previous high density plans for The Farm could add 500 to 1000 school age children. - We believe the primary motivation for this request is not failing golf courses but profit maximization. The owners will greatly benefit at the expense of the property's neighbors, the Town and Village. The owners stand to make as much as $5 million in profit on their investment for The Farm golf course. Their announced residential development plans in 2006 for Door Creek and Foxboro (in Oregon) golf courses should remove any doubt that this is really about golf course viability. The Village does not have a responsibility to ensure profit maximization and the Village is not restricting the rights of the property owners as they own greenspace and have the option of using the land for commercial recreation purposes such as a golf course and they have the option to sell it as such. - The Village has indicated its desire to have a buffer between it and the City of Madison. In the near future, the land between Madison and Cottage Grove will be subdivision after subdivision connected by four lane roads with 25 MPH speed limits and stop lights. The development of the master plan was the result of a long thoughtful process that resulted in the designation of certain areas for residential development. If not designated as recreation/open space, the golf course could likely be part of the environmental corridor that runs along the western side of the Village making it important as a buffer. Cottage Grove is a wonderful place to live and we must strive to ensure that it follows its vision for the future. The Village has thoughtfully developed its Comprehensive Land Use Plan in an attempt to maintain its character and identity. We support this plan. We do not want our community to become like other area communities that are totally lacking their own identity and character as Madison inches closer to them. It is for these reasons that we write this letter. We ask the Village Trustees and Plan Commission to stay on track for a sound, safe, visionary future for this community and deny this request again. Sincerely, Concerned Citizens of Cottage Grove and Surrounding Communities Cc: Town of Cottage Grove Board Members Name & Address