Implementing Culver’s Comprehensive Plan

I’ve mentioned several times in previous posts that I am concerned about Culver’s lack of movement on the new Comprehensive Plan. (Here and here if you want to see a few past comments.) At the December Plan Commission meeting, they set up a work session to discuss accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

During Citizen Input, I commended them for tackling the ADUs, but reminded them that was only one of a myriad of changes suggested by the Comprehensive Plan. After the 2014 Comprehensive Plan, then Council President, Ginny Munroe, immediately formed a committee that created a Strategic Action Plan (SAP) and a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to implement key points in the plan. This fostered the creation of an entry-level housing committee that ultimately resulted in Culver achieving Stellar Community Designation. A few of the results included, 72 new housing units in the Sand Hill Farm development, the new Damore Amphitheater in the Park by the lake, the new Cavalier Park by the school and another trail extension.

Looking from the outside, the current town council has not done much to implement the new plan. The Culver Redevelopment Commission (CRC) is making some moves toward implementation, but it really needs to start with the Plan Commission and the Town Council. Many of the recommendations will require changes to the Zoning Ordinance and that is a function of the Plan Commission.

Section 5 of the 2024 Comprehensive Plan talks about implementation and includes a Priority Action Plan. While many of the recommendations require action by the Town Council, even those should be pushed by the Plan Commission as technically, the Comprehensive Plan is a Plan Commission document, adopted by them prior to adoption by the Town Council. For the ones specific to the Plan Commission, here is a short list:

• Page 73, review the Zoning Ordinance to see where it affects plan goals negatively and what changes should be made to foster achievement of goals. Specifically, “The Zoning Ordinance can be used with the Future Development Character Map to set a vision for how land is used at the parcel level.” The Zoning Ordinance is currently being reviewed by the Town Attorney for technical problems. This appears to be putting the cart in front of the horse, as a review of proposed outcomes should have been done first as some of the things currently under review will likely change and other things will be added.
• Page 74, “A goal of the Priority Action Plan is to update the Culver Zoning Ordinance to enable some of the goals and strategies of the Action Priority Plan (sic) to be accomplished.” Some of the Comp Plan’s proposed use changes don’t fit neatly under the existing Zoning Ordinance. This might require changes to existing districts or even the creation of a new district. This should be done in a thoughtful process and not on a whim, with a lets-see-what-happens attitude. While the Plan Commission is not responsible for creating the CIP, their deliberation on Comp Plan goals will help set priorities for the CIP. For example, the Comp Plan talks about future development in unimproved areas. The Plan Commission will need to make Zoning Ordinance changes if they want to foster that development and from that, the Town Council will need to budget (CIP) for infrastructure improvements necessary to make that development possible.
• Page 75, Land Exaction Tools. “An impact fee is a land exaction tool the town can use to implement public infrastructure and facility (sic) projects.” Impact Fees could be part of the Zoning Ordinance. Culver is not a booming economy where development is clamoring to happen, thus impact fees are unlikely to foster what we want to see happen, nor will they solve the problem of infrastructure costs. Conversely though, they can be a tool that impedes less desirable development, and can be waived to promote desirable development. The consideration of waiving fees can be a negotiation tactic that helps mold development to Comp Plan goals. Care should be taken to not drive away development that sees the fees and doesn’t understand the system. Care should also be taken to tread lightly and not give grounds for complaints of unequal treatment.
• Page 76, Tax Increment Financing (TIF). While this is a function of the Redevelopment Commission (CRC), the Plan Commission should be aware of where TIF districts are set up and work with the CRC to take advantage of them. I would strongly recommend that this be part of the Building Commissioners checklist and whenever new development is considered, that the CRC be notified so they can assess how it will affect existing TIF districts and if not in a TIF district, whether expansion of the TIF to include the new development is warranted. As the Building Commissioner works most closely under the Plan Commission, the Plan Commission could request this be included in his reporting to them.
• Page 83, A, Appendix – Action Program. While the Comp Plan pulled some specific priority goals for the Plan Commission, as listed in the first three bullet points above, it also includes ALL of the goals. This was done with the recognition that Comp Plans are meant to have a life of 5-10 years and the hope is that the priority items get completed quickly. Then the Plan Commission can pick from the remaining goals to continue improvements. That said, there are already different plan commissioners from when the plan was adopted. The Plan is a living document that needs to be flexible and if the new group of plan commissioners want to tackle different thing, there is a whole list available with documented citizen support.

Further emphasizing the need to look at the existing Zoning Ordinance, one of the things highlighted in the Future Development Character Map, Page 58, (right) was the creation of “Entertainment Corridors”. These were designated for Lake Shore Drive, Main Street and Jefferson Street. This was an acknowledgement of Culver’s Tourist and second home resident focus. In the discussion of these corridors, the conversation revolved around walkability, mixed use (commercial/residential) and diversification of our economy for year-round attractions.

Bringing these corridors to fruition, could be handled several ways, through modifications to existing districts, creation of new districts or through some form of overlay district. All will require more in-depth analysis and some rezoning to make them happen. This mixed use focus, could allow changes preventing problems such as were created with the rezoning of 303 Main Street. There is a definition of this district on Page 59 of the Comprehensive Plan, but not to the level of a Zoning District.

The Future Development Character Plan also looks at expansion of the “Employment Center” which would be Commercial/Industrial in the current ordinance and an expansion of the “Regional Commercial” area, which would be C2 under the current ordinance. The Plan Commission should contemplate how they want to foster these community goals.

In any case, there is a lot that should be on the Plan Commissions plate and rather than letting these things languish, they should start to tackle them. If they can break these down and address them in pieces, they’ll make progress. As the old saw goes, “How do you eat an elephant? – One bite at a time…”