Trempealeau board approves comprehensive plan update
The village of Trempealeau’s new comprehensive plan that outlines its goals as well as its possible growth and additions will be more user friendly and catered to the many changes the municipality has seen over the last two decades, according to village Planning and Zoning Director Roxroy Barrett.
The plan will be created by Short Eillott Hendrickson, Inc. (SEH) of La Crosse, a company that specializes in community planning and economic projections. Municipal comprehensive plans are essentially a 20-year view of how a municipality wants to look in 20 years and are mandated by state statutes.
In 2002, the village created its first comprehensive plan, one that is now outdated and requires updating in accordance with state statutes. The new plan will include more social engagement to get younger families involved who are not typically seen at village board meetings but are more active on social media and the internet.
There wasn’t anything major in the old plan, Barrett said, and was used as more maintenance and outlined possible land uses.
A lot of growth has been seen in the village in its eastern and northern parts, and Barrett said there are new needs for the village based on that boon. The village hopes that the plan will allow residents to have an input on what the priorities should be for the community moving forward.
“I think those are some of the things that looking at this new plan is to try to get out there and find out from the residents what they would like to see in the village, whether it be facilities, grocery stores, whatever it might be that they find as a need to help transition from a bedroom community to be a full service community,” Barrett said.
Contracting with SEH to create the plan was approved unanimously by the village board, and the next step in the process will be SEH seeking public input and suggestions through a variety of manners. The village will be sharing information and requesting input from the community in the coming weeks and months, he said.
Brea Grace works as a project manager and community development specialist with SEH. She told the board on Thursday that she looks forward to helping Trempealeau.
“We’re excited to work with the village. … comprehensive planning is that pause that you get to take and take a holistic look at what direction your community’s going in, and how we want land uses to change over time and kind of reprioritize things with the community,” she said.
The move comes about a month after the board approved creating a Tax Increment District (TID) in its northern and eastern parts. With that move, the plan and TID will “dovetail” each other to make it more likely that there is growth aligned with the goals of the TID and plan, Barrett told the board.
The plan commission will be able to use the plan to prioritize and recommend certain projects over the next 20 years, Barrett said. This helps to offset turnover in public office that can sometimes fog what the priorities of the village will be.
