DCPCUP-0000-01546 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

II. ANALYSIS A. Compliance with County Ordinances Section 10.10 of the Dane County Zoning Ordinance lists recreational camps, campgrounds and camping resorts as conditional uses in the RE-1 district. However, some of the secondary proposed uses, such as a retreat center, cultural center and synagogue are prohibited in the RE-1 district. A combination of B-1 and A-2 zoning, with appropriate conditional use permits and deed restrictions, would be necessary to accommodate these particular uses. The Zoning Division will need appropriate legal descriptions for such areas before changes to the requested zoning categories can be made. Without a sufficiently detailed site plan (see comments below) it is difficult to determine whether the proposal complies with county environmental and access control regulations. B. Compliance with Adopted Plans The town/county Farmland Preservation Plan for the Town of Verona (adopted 1987), classifies the Wirtanen property into two planning areas. The area surrounding the pond. wetland and stream corridor in the northwestern portion of the property is in a Resource Protection and Recreation Area. Within such areas, the plan calls for: • protection of wetlands and floodplains of the Sugar River and Badger Mill Creek; • review by the town plan commission and town board to ensure preservation of existing natural features wherever possible; • encouragement of soil erosion control measures, and; • preservation and maintenance of areas needed to support wildlife. See discussion below about environmental features for compliance with these principles. The balance of the property is in an Agricultural Land Preservation Area. The plan's guidelines for such areas focus primarily on farming, residential and commercial development, and are silent on recreational or campground use. However, general provisions requiring compatibility with long-term agriculture would continue to apply. C. Environmental features An unnamed tributary of the Sugar River, an associated complex of emergent wetland and a pond roughly 2 acres in size are in the northwest quarter-quarter of the property. Another intermittent Sugar River tributary flows from north to south in the south-middle third of the property. (See Map.) The site is within a priority grassland/prairie management area identified in the County Parks and Open Space Plan. There are at least two known native prairie or oak savanna remnants in the immediate vicinity. The property itself supports a scattering of burr oaks, mainly on the western half, and does not appear to have been plowed. These characteristics suggest the site may be a good candidate for ecological restoration. Given its history and location, the site may contain endangered or threatened plant species and likely provides valuable habitat for a variety of wildlife, including migratory songbirds, insects and amphibians. 2