SHEBOYGAN — The Sheboygan City Plan Commission unanimously voted Tuesday to move forward with the city's proposed 20-year comprehensive plan, despite concerns from residents about environmental protections and a lack of specific steps to achieve the plan's goals.
The proposed plan is intended to guide the city's growth and development through 2046, including efforts to expand affordable housing and promote economic development.
According to the first page of the document, the plan is designed to "assist local officials with decision-making on future growth, development, and preservation through 2046." However, several residents who attended Tuesday's public hearing questioned whether the plan adequately addresses environmental concerns and outlines how the city will accomplish its goals.
Mary Faydash, the president of the local nonprofit Friends of the Black River Forest, said the plan fails to address how future development could affect the environment, particularly Lake Michigan.
"This is very, very concerning to us. I mean, we don’t see this in any other Great Lake City," said Faydash. "It’s really lacking, we think, in any type of protection that would enhance quality of life or protections for land, air, and water."
Another major concern raised during the meeting was the plan's lack of specific implementation measures. Under Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations, comprehensive plans must include an implementation element outlining programs and specific actions to achieve their goals, including proposed changes to applicable zoning ordinances. However, residents argued that Sheboygan's proposed plan does not sufficiently explain how the city will carry out its goals.
After the public hearing, plan commissioners discussed those concerns before unanimously voting to advance the proposal. Commissioner Joe Clark said city officials had addressed his questions about implementation. He suggested that more detailed requirements should be established through the city's zoning regulations.
"I think the zoning plan is where all the details really need to be spelled out very carefully, to get us exactly where we want," said Clark.
However, Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations also requires zoning ordinances to be consistent with a municipality's comprehensive plan, raising questions among residents about whether those details should be included in the plan itself.
Sheboygan resident Rebecca Clarke expressed that concern during the meeting.
"The plan drives the zoning codes. There’s a lot of discussion about, oh, it’s all in the codes. If it’s not in the plan, it doesn’t have to be in the codes, right?" said Clarke.
The meeting also drew frustration from residents who felt their concerns were not being adequately considered by city leaders.
"We as community members are really frustrated with the fact that the people that represent us don’t listen," said Sheboygan resident Mary Dotz.
The Sheboygan Common Council is expected to consider whether to approve the proposed comprehensive plan next Wednesday, Oct. 21.
