A NEED FOR FOCUS AND REFINEMENT
Atty. Mark
Hazelbaker
County Executive Falk has proposed an ambitious program to do a
better job of regulating how the communities in Dane County use land
in promoting economic growth and development. Known as "Attain
Dane," her proposal is, at this point, some very general concepts
which would call for going to a 50-year planning horizon for
farmland preservation, implementing a transfer of development rights
program, and encouraging more cooperation among the communities in
Dane County. She made time in her schedule to meet for some
time with the DCTA Board of Directors in early May to explain this
concept.
Ms. Falk's proposal deserves study and should not be dismissed out
of hand. No one, no matter how critical they may be of the
Executive on some issues, could deny that she has proven over the
years that she is a sincere and vigorous supporter of protecting
farmland and preserving rural open space. We may not always
like the implications of those positions, but there is no question
that she has held them deeply and personally for many years, and not
because special interests pay her substantial campaign contributions
to do so.
This is another way of saying that these are serious proposals and
they need to be dealt with in a serious and responsible manner.
And, from the standpoint of towns, they may offer some advantages.
Let's look at them.
With regard to the 50-year planning horizon for farmland
preservation, Ms. Falk points out that current planning systems
typically review what will be
likely to happen in the next 20 years. While this is a useful
framework for looking at growth decisions, she is pointing out that
if one is trying to make commitments about the opposite issue,
namely, committing to maintain open space and rural character, a
much longer timeframe is important. She is suggesting 50
years.
At least in this writer's view, this idea has merit. If we are
really serious about wanting to preserve farmland, it is important
to identify areas that need to be maintained in farmland for another
generation. A 20-year planning horizon simply doesn't do
