Residents are likely to have any number of reasons behind their choice to move to or remain in a community. They could include: recreational and cultural activities; beautiful natural areas and open spaces; an easy commute to work; proximity to shopping or dining areas; a quiet street in a well-planned neighborhood; and more. Reasons can be based on both logic and emotion, but most of them, in one way, shape or form, have resulted from effective community planning.
Community planning in Pleasant Prairie is guided by a comprehensive plan. The plan continues to evolve as time goes by. The Village's first Comprehensive Plan was completed in 1967. It received a major update in 1996 and will be updated again by 2010. The Village Comprehensive Plan is a tool that guides growth and development for our community. It is a tool that will help the Village maintain and improve a thriving, sustainable and desirable place to live, work and play. The current Village Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 1996, will see us through the year 2010. The updated Plan, once completed, will extend through 2035 and will comply with new "Smart Growth" legislation passed in 1999 by the State of Wisconsin.
The Plan includes recommendations related to many facets of community planning that are intended to meet the anticipated needs of Village residents and business owners. According to Wisconsin's Smart Growth law, the updated Comprehensive Plan will focus on nine separate elements. Each of the first eight elements takes into account objectives, policies, goals, maps and programs, while the ninth element is a collection of programs and specific actions that can be completed to implement the Plan. The nine elements of the Comprehensive Plan are:
Issues and Opportunities
This element provides background information that can be used to help guide planning, such as: population statistics, household and employment forecasts, demographic trends, age distribution, education and income levels and employment characteristics.
Housing
The purpose of this element is to help municipalities provide an adequate housing supply that can meet current and expected housing demand. It also will help ensure a range of housing options to meet a variety of needs and circumstances.
Transportation
This element will guide development of current and future transportation systems. It will help the Village plan for a safe and efficient circulation of traffic. It takes into account a variety of transportation modes and needs, including: highways; transit; accommodations for those with special needs; bicycles; walking; rail; air; water; and trucking.
Utilities and Community Facilities
This element will guide future development of utilities and facilities, such as: sanitary sewer, storm water management, water supply, solid waste disposal, wastewater treatment, recycling, parks, telecommunications, power generation, health care, child care, cemeteries, police, fire and rescue, libraries, schools and more.
Agricultural, Natural and Cultural Resources
This element is intended as a guide to conserve and promote effective management of resources, such as: groundwater, forests, productive agricultural areas, environmentally sensitive areas, threatened and endangered species, streams, surface water, floodplains and wetlands, wildlife habitats, mineral resources, parks, open spaces, historical and cultural resources, recreational resources and more.
Economic Development
This element exists to promote a healthy and sustainable economic base and quality employment opportunities within the community.
Intergovernmental Cooperation
This element's aim is to promote joint planning and decision making with neighboring jurisdictions. These could include: school districts, public facilities and other shared resources.
Land Use
The Land Use element serves as a guide to future development and redevelopment of both public and private lands.
Implementation
A collection of programs and specific actions to take in a specific order, this element acts as a guide in the implementation of the objectives, policies, plans and programs highlighted in the other eight elements. It includes a tool to measure progress towards achieving the overall Comprehensive Plan.
The Village's Community Development Department, with input from other Village Departments, Village officials and residents, has been working with Kenosha County and other municipalities in the County (with assistance from the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and the UW-Extension) to prepare a Multi-Jurisdictional Comprehensive Plan for Kenosha County, which incorporates the elements above. The Multi-Jurisdictional Plan facilitates coordinated planning between the participating communities. The data included in the Multi-Jurisdictional Plan will serve as a general guideline and informational basis for the updating of the Village Comprehensive Plan.
Upon completion of the Multi-Jurisdictional Plan, the Community Development Department will extract information specific to the Village. This information will be used when updating the Village Comprehensive Plan, which will offer more detailed plans that are specific to Pleasant Prairie. The Department will use the completed Village Comprehensive Plan as a guide as they continue to work for safe and orderly development within the Village, both now and through the year 2035.
If you would like to learn more about Kenosha County's Multi-Jurisdictional Comprehensive Plan or would like to learn how you can participate in the countywide Comprehensive Planning Process, you can find more information at
www.co.kenosha.wi.us/plandev/smart_growth.
More information about the Village Comprehensive Plan and the Pleasant Prairie Community Development Department is available by clicking here.