TRANSPORTATION

1. Support the proposal to create a state Legislative Council Study Committee on Land-Use.

2. Get involved in state and local plans to comply with federal ISTEA (Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act) and follow through to ensure implementation. Tell the Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation (WisDOT) what kind of transportation system you want.

3. Watch and comment on the WisDOT Budget and contact your state legislators about how you want state transportation dollars spent for a more balanced network.

4. Question priorities in 'Corridors 2020', Wis DOT's plan for new highway construction up to the year 2020.

5. Educate the public on the real costs and subsidies of automobile and truck transportation.

6. End special subsidies for highways and give incentives for more efficient alternatives, especially operating assistance for transit.

7. Provide transportation options for non-drivers (about 30% of population): the low income, under-age, elderly, and handicapped.

8. Promote passenger, freight and light rail service, where feasible.

9. Increase gas taxes and impose 'gas guzzler' taxes on inefficient vehicles.

10. Promote Impact Fees on new fringe developments to compensate for costs of sprawl.

11. Promote carpooling and vanpooling programs

12. Promote more bicycle and pedestrian facilities that mesh well with mass transit. Promote bike paths, shoulder lanes, bike storage, carry-ons (bus & rail), and maintenance of these improvements. Make pedestrian and bike routes attractive and safe.

13. Promote developments which are transit-oriented, pedestrian-oriented, and human-use oriented. For example: promote site designs with parking in back and building access close to sidewalks and streets.

14. Promote street connectivity --- grid system streets rather than suburban-style cul-de-sacs, collectors and arterials.

15. Control curb cuts and too-frequent access to highways.

16. Convert existing highway lanes to HOVs (High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes). Oppose construction of additional lanes for HOVs, because this adds to expressway/freeway capacity and induces more driving.

17. Tie government subsidies (roads, sewers, etc.) to sound land-use decisions.

18. Promote inter-modal transport, such as truck to rail to truck, with interchangeable loads.

19. Promote intercity statewide transit.

20. Require local governments to zone to prevent sprawl before a road is built or expanded.

URBAN PLANNING / ZONING / ORDINANCES

1. Examine innovations in state land-use plans in Oregon, Vermont, Florida, etc. --- promote improvements which would work in Wisconsin.

2. Participate and comment on proposed land-use plans in your area --- ie: comprehensive county plans or local zoning plans. Convince local officials to support and implement wise comprehensive county plans and regional plans.

3. Promote consistent state/regional/local planning and zoning conformity, to prevent shifting sprawl patterns to less-protected areas.

4. Set firm urban boundaries, with no exemptions unless the area's comprehensive land-use plan is formally revised.

5. Educate the public on the greatly increased service costs of sprawl and the likelihood of increasing taxes. Explain the benefits of improved land-use management. Question the old-style 'growth is good' attitude.

6. Develop an 'Urban Vision' --- define what makes downtowns attractive to residents and businesses, then modify downtowns to achieve the vision. Remember human desires for a good quality of life --- human-scale uses.

7. Give incentives for multi-family, mixed-use neighborhoods. Re-evaluate single-use local zoning which discourages short pedestrian/bicycle trips.

8. Charge full-cost, comprehensive impact fees for each lot being developed on urban fringe to compensate for costs of sprawl.

9. Give incentives for urban 'in-fill' and denser redevelopment of underutilized space. Remove disincentives.

10. Retro-fit urban areas for improved pedestrian/bicycle use.

11. Press for smaller, more efficient lot sizes and attractive multi-family housing.

12. Give bonuses for cluster developments and contiguous developments.

13. Give bonuses for open space/green space.

14. Strengthen the concept of environmental corridors.

15. Create TIF Districts (tax incremental financing) for high-quality improved compact downtown housing.

16. Promote revenue-sharing and shared metro-wide services among metro-area communities (inner and outer cities). This spreads the tax-burden caused by sprawling service costs more equitably to include outer cities.

17. Oppose state legislative bill AB902 which legalizes sprawling developments which use a private aerobic sewage treatment technology which may also contaminate groundwater.

18. Evaluate and comment on regional impact of mining and other major regional developments.

19. Privatize some government services (especially for smaller governments which can't afford planning staff.)

20. Promote population density standards and density requirements ---- make clear distinctions between acceptable urban and rural population densities.

FARMLAND PRESERVATION

1. Educate the public on the impacts of farmland losses.

2. Improve the state Farmland Preservation Law of 1977 --- reinstitute paybacks of property tax relief if the land is developed.

3. Support public regulations/zoning of exclusive farmland zoning --- with few exceptions.

4. Set up land trusts.

5. Buy or transfer development rights.

6. Set up conservation easements.

7. Target tax credits only to lands actually threatened by development.

8. Question and evaluate impacts of recent effort to tax land on farm-use value --- does this truly preserve farmland for agricultural use or is it only a tax break for farmers who will develop the land later?

9. Question the 'American Dream' of a sprawling country home. Can this realistically be attained by everyone? What are the costs?