Posted: 3/12/03

Township ends hearing on comp plan

Jessica Foster
Staff Writer

After more than five hours of testimony, the Wyoming Township Comprehensive Plan public hearing came to a close last week.

Residents came out in large numbers for the comprehensive plan public hearing Feb. 18 and its continuation Tuesday, March 4 at Maranatha Assembly of God Church.

Apathy was in short supply as residents, young and old, made pleas for changes in the proposed plan.

The meeting was chaired by Loyal Hyatt, chairman of the planning commission. Residents were given at least one opportunity to submit their opinions on the draft plan at each meeting or in written form to the town hall.

After the testimony, it is the duty of the planning commission to take the comments and use them to revise the draft plan.

After that is complete (likely after 3-4 meetings), the planning commission will make a recommendation to the town board, which will approve or deny the plan.

ìI live here too, we live here too, all of us,î Hyatt said. ìWeíre listening to what you have to say.î

He stressed the voice of the community will be echoed in the plan.

ìWe may not agree about everything in the plan, thatís why weíre having public hearings,î Hyatt said.

Ken Tolzmann, who spoke at both hearings, questioned whether the elected and appointed officials were truly representing the citizens of the township or not.

He suggested the township should consider going back to the county for its zoning.

ìThis isnít a town board decision, itís a community decision,î he said. ìLetís make sure we get it right.î

RVCs

Rural Village Centers, planned for three areas in the township, were the areas of greatest concern by those who testified at the hearing.

RVC 1, designed as a town center, is designated at the US-8/CR-23 intersection. RVC II is designed to accommodate the existing Greenway Road highway businesses which cater to motorists and provide space for commercial development which caters to motoristsí needs. Proposed RVC III is located south of CSAH-36 and west of US-8 in the northern area of the township.

Meant to include large, open and landscaped sites, RVC III is designed to accommodate office complexes, retail and specialty service business.

Resident Rita Schmidt lives near proposed RVC III, which she said is opposed by the neighbors.

ìBe very wide and considerate in what youíre doing because youíre impacting not only residents but future residents,î she said.

The RVC areas are not set in stone, rather they were meant as a starting point.

ìThese areas are not going to get larger, but as a community we can make them much smaller,î Hyatt said. ìMy whole purpose of even wanting to stay on the planning commission is so we can plan this and plan it before anyone comes in and plans it for us.î

What it is

The revised draft is an update of the townshipís 1990 comprehensive plan. Ideally, comprehensive plans reflect the wants and needs of township officials, residents and other agencies and departments of county government and neighboring communities.

The 1990 plan was the first comprehensive plan for Wyoming Township. Before, 1990, the township fell under Chisago Countyís plan, before the township took over its own zoning. This plan is 67 pages. The 1990 plan was just 19 pages.

Meetings

The Wyoming Town Board of Supervisors regularly meets at 7 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesday of each month in the Wyoming Town Hall. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25. The planning commission regularly meets the first and third Tuesday of each month in the town hall. The next planning commission is scheduled for March 18.

Top of Page