SECTION 2: Issues & Opportunities Element

The Town of Rushford, in western Winnebago County, is a community, which strives for preserving values and encouraging opportunities — A community that is citizen supported, and future-oriented. With approximately 1,400 members as part of the Town of Rushford Community and the willingness to accomplish identified goals, the Town of Rushford is in a desirable position to take the next step in the Comprehensive Planning process — the creation of a Town Comprehensive Plan.

In October of 1998, the Town of Rushford contacted the University of Wisconsin-Cooperative Extension Agency to help in the process of land-use planning. With the help of University of Wisconsin-Extension, the Town of Rushford created a Comprehensive Planning Committee including 35 citizens and board members, which would serve as the first step in creating a Town Comprehensive Plan[1]. Since 1998, this partnership has administered a land use opinion survey that identified many citizen concerns and needs, educated citizens regarding Comprehensive Planning purpose and consequences, and most of all, a "Vision" representing the future direction of the Town of Rushford was created. A direction that would entail a 10-20 year horizon.

Through this visioning process, committee members as well as citizens of the Town of Rushford have become sensitive to the impacts of unplanned development that could possibly occur in their community if action is avoided, or even delayed. A vision statement was developed in acordinance with respecting and preserving present and future community values. The vision statement will serve to support and guide future Comprehensive Planning within the Town of Rushford (see Figure 1).

With a vision in place, and community values established, the Comprehensive Planning process can proceed to the next level with the creation of a Town Comprehensive Plan. The process will begin with the development of a Community Profile Report[2], followed by plan preparation — the Town Comprehensive Plan. The Community Profile Report identifies existing conditions in the town including past and projected growth trends, and the identification of issues and needs. That information is presented in this document. Following the Community Profile Report, is the development of the Town Comprehensive Plan whereby implementation strategies and a future land use map are created.

In any Comprehensive Planning process, it is not only important to evaluate and draft a consensus of community values such as what the Town of Rushford has already accomplished, but it is very important to consider the legal planning framework from which the town has to work under. Various local governments including town governments, in most instances, experience multi-jurisdictional claims on planning authority. Therefore, identifying appropriate levels of planning authority specific to a locality is crucial to the success of any Comprehensive Plan.

Identification of Initial Goals & Objectives

The following goal statements were reviewed and established by the Town of Rushford Comprehensive Planning Committee as a framework for the development of this Comprehensive Plan. Overwhelming support for these goals was gained through public meetings, committee meetings, a citizen survey, and through a Visioning Process conducted by University of Wisconsin-Extension. Noticeably, there is some overlap among goal statements. However, each statement attempts to address a topic in itself. Without any order of importance, the Town of Rushford has identified the following goal statements to function as the basis of their Comprehensive Plan:

Text Box: 1 Promote Water Resources as an Economic Tool while Protecting Wildlife and Aquatic Habitat through Water Traffic Regulation.

The Fox River has long been a great asset to the Town of Rushford, Winnebago County, and the greater Fox River Valley Region. Protecting this natural resource while promoting economic activity in a way that encourages efficient water use and awareness, is an important aspect of rural atmosphere in the Town of Rushford.

Text Box: 2 Conserve and Enhance the Water and Wetland Resources that make the Town of Rushford an Attractive and Healthy Environment to Live and Work in.

Text Box: 6 Preserve our Historic Landmarks and Culture. Conservation and enhancement of existing water resources can increase recreational opportunities, maintain and expand wildlife natural habitats, and also discourage improper land use practices on adjacent lands.

Text Box: 7 Encourage Open Space Preservation and the Efficient Use of Land through the Proper Placement of Development on the Landscape and the use of Tools such as Clustering and Maximum Lot Sizes. Text Box: 3 Preserve the Open Space that Defines the Town of Rushford's Rural Character. Large tracts of land primarily used for Agricultural purposes exist within the Town of Rushford. These tracts provide open space very desirable to the Town of Rushford. To maintain rural character in the Town of Rushford is to recognize opportunities of preserving this open space by encouraging the use of farming and protection of natural resources.

Text Box: 4 Manage Development so that it Occurs Near Already Developed Areas (ie; Waukau, Eureka, Delhi).

Cluster development is a means of directing new construction to areas already developed. The unincorporated areas of Waukau, Eureka, and Delhi are areas in Rushford which contain a majority of housing units and public facilities. In order to preserve existing land mass in the Town of Rushford, would be to manage development so that it occurs in these already developed areas. Coordinated development patterns also enhances fiscal capacities of local governments.

Text Box: 5 Direct Development into the Areas Most Developable.

Likewise, development should not occur in environmentally significant areas or areas where prime farmland exist. Areas which already contain residential or non-residential development, that are not within a floodplain or wetland area, are areas where future development should be designated.

The Town of Rushford is a unique place to live because of its character, its physical attributes, and its history. Recognizing the historical and cultural significance of Rushford is the first step in preserving the past, present, and future identity of the Town of Rushford.

The Town of Rushford recognizes that proper placement of new construction and the use of cluster developments and maximum lot sizes will result in open space preservation throughout the Town. Fiscal awareness of development patterns and types of uses also factor into the equation of Text Box: 8 Preserve Wildlife Habitat and Natural Beauty through the Proper Placement of Development on the lot. efficient land use and open space preservation.

The Town of Rushford would like to preserve wildlife habitats and natural beauty by regulating building sites. Influencing lot design and building placement are two ways of achieving this type of preservation.

Text Box: 12 Control the Demands on Government and other Public Services through Growth Management Policies.

Text Box: 9 Preserve a Critical Mass of Productive Farmland through Equitable Growth Management Policies (ie; preserve land and landowner rights). Growth management policies are a means of controlling and influencing the direction of future growth in a community. Policies such as Farmland Preservation, and Purchase of Development Rights (PDR's), are only a few tools for preserving productive farmland and landowner rights.

Text Box: 11 Provide a Safe Transportation System that Promotes Efficient Use of Land and Fiscal Resources through Maintenance of Arterial Roadways, Limiting Access Points on Major Transportation Routes, and Focusing Development to Areas Near Major Thoroughfares. Text Box: 10 Encourage the Revitalization and Preservation of
Diverse Agricultural Activity Through the Protection of Highly Farmable Areas by Focusing Environmental Preservation and Residential Development to Areas Less Important to Farming. Prime farmlands are lands that are most productive and adaptive to an agricultural industry including a diversity of activities, as well as the revitalization of older, smaller, and even struggling farming operations. It is important to identify where these prime farmlands are, and to reserve them strictly for agricultural use.

In the Town of Rushford are a number of public roadways including town roads, county trunks, and state highways. To fully realize the benefits of proximity to major highways and design/condition of local roads, the Town must encourage efficient use of land and fiscal resources.

Evaluating the various tools for growth management can give the Town of Rushford an opportunity to manage and control the demands on public services such as maintenance of town roads, emergency services, and public water/sewer systems.

Text Box: 13 Limit Clear-cutting of Wooded Areas When Land is Developed.

The Town of Rushford can also enforce regulations limiting the amount of trees that can be cut down when parcels of land are developed. This would provide for a more desirable, natural-looking lot.

Text Box: 14 Support the Preservation of Existing Wildlife Habitat and Natural Beauty of the Town of Rushford. Before any development decision is made, or any permit is granted, it is important to consider the impacts that future developments have on existing wildlife and the natural beauty in the Town of Rushford.

Text Box: 16 Work with Public Agencies (eg; DNR, County) to Identify and Acquire Pristine Areas. Text Box: 15 Limit Shoreline Development to Protect Environmental and Aesthetic Resources. Protecting the Fox River by limiting the amount of development that can occur near it shoreline, is important if environmental and aesthetic resources are to be maintained. Regulating the amount of density and location of development are effective means of preserving the natural environment.

Working cooperatively with adjacent or overlapping jurisdictions such as the DNR or Winnebago County can provide a means of identifying pristine areas for potential purchase. This is especially true since a significant amount of land within the Town of Rushford is owned by Winnebago County.

Issues & Opportunities

Prior to the development of the preliminary goal statements a series of educational sessions where utilized to inform participants of planning principals, expert opinion of growth impacts and to generate a detailed list of Issues and Opportunities. By using the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (S.W.O.T.) facilitation methodology, participants in four sub-working groups identified what they perceive to be Rushford's predominant issues. The four working groups where assembled to focus on specific topical subject matter. These groups dealt with 1) Population, Housing & Economics, 2) Transportation, 3) Agriculture, and 4) The Natural Environment.

*Natural Environment Working Group*
Issues	Opportunities
Uncontrolled development	Water system (river: creeks: lakes: wetlands)
Housing growth	Recreation availability
Minimal economic contributions by tourists	River in Eureka
Boats are too loud	The pond in Waukau
Boats wash out the shoreline	The nature preserve
Dangerous boat speeds on the river	Last of the "good" riverbank
Development limiting waterfowl habitat	Farmlands for wildlife
Loss of wetlands	Woodland protection
Ag. Runoff	Traffic control
Water quality of the Fox River	Preserve farmland for future
Shorline development	Preserve open space, prairie grasses and flowers
Local & up stream non-point source pollution	Good location & shopping available nearby
Failing septic systems	Economic contributions by tourists
Increased recreational use of the Fox River	More hunting preserve
Growth impacting wildlife corridors	Game bird preservation
Long Driveways	Control over how building is being done
Large housing and lots	Control over where building is being done
Increased cars and trips generating air pollution	Control over river traffic
Animal predators
Public hunting grounds being left littered
Trend of newcomers wanting city services
Dead animal pick up by county not occurring quickly
Trash in ditches of river roads
Too few family farms
Urban sprawl
Property tax base on land desirability rather than land use
Everybody wants beauty & peace of rural life
Narrow country roads do not accommodate high traffic volumes
Highway system not keeping up with traffic
Large corporate farms
Development pressure from Fox Valley

*Agricultural Working Group*
Issues	Opportunities
Low prices drive more land sales for development	No feed mill
Small farms are struggling	Medical access (vet & human)
Less productive farms	Farm industry services (support system)
Clay soils	Good economics
Only one bridge across river	Dairying is about the best deal
Lots of "wet" lands = Farmer's problems	Access roads
Farm runoff into waterways & marshes	Close to rail & highway network
Growing residential pressure	Good distribution system
Government restrictions	Lots of farmland - critical mass
Farmers and residents much opposed to development	Productive land
Conflict between farm & residential needs/wants	Holding back urban proximity
Farm taxes are too high	Low development of land (housing)(so far)
New schools = higher taxes

*Transportation Working Group*
Issues	Opportunities
Traffic on Hwy. 91, crossing going to Ripon	Scenic/country roads maintain rural atmosphere
Speeding through Waukau & Eureka	Well maintained for winter driving
Potential four lane improvement to Hwy. 21 would destroy some homes	Proper speed limits
More $ needed to improve/maintain quality	Good police patrol level
Some roads have more traffic than they're designed for	Clear view at intersections
School busses have difficulty on some roads/narrowness	Limited access on State roadways
Improper speed limit on River Road	Proximity to Fox cities, Omro, Berlin & Oshkosh
Too many access points on roads	Major highways go through town
Speed limit not enforced	Central location
Farm machinery versus cars & trucks	Rustic roads maintain rural atmosphere
Brush control along sides of roads	Speed limits adjustments needed in some areas due to changes
Good roads attract development
Only one bridge across river
Tree, brush and shrub trimming needed to keep roads safe/currently visibility is limited

*Population, Housing & Economics Working Group*
Issues	Opportunities
Aging housing base	Abundance of recreational lands and opportunities
Lack of retirement housing facility	Nearby water resources (i.e., Fox River)
Threat of dumps moving into township	River is a developable economic resource
Surface and groundwater pollution	Many employment opportunities
Next generation doesn't want to farm	Prison at Red Granite
Limited industry in Town	Profitable natural resources (i.e., water & gravel)
Development spoiling rural atmosphere	Land good for farming, hunting, and boating
Higher population could mean higher crime rate	Good rental housing
Road maintenance costs increase with sprawl	Ability to work together towards the future
Road maintenance currently marginal	Community interest in welfare of the Town
No education facilities in Town	Limited industry in Town