I've been interested in coming to the meetings for some time but I kind of put it off because of other things; but I saw an article on-line today having to do with Madison that kind of pushed me over and I decided to come to the meeting. I called up Marge [Bates] to be sure it was being held because I hadn't seen an agenda on-line.
The article I saw dealt with the Madison, WI, zoning ordinanace possibilities. There was a meeting agenda; the title is "Public Meeting: Sustainability in Zoning Code". It was a Wednesday meeting in December; so I saw a news article, it's over a month old, but it's kind of indicative of, I think, where this committee might be going.
I don't really know. Marge told me that the committee doesn't have ... is not empowered to make high-level decisions or make recommendations to the Council, as far as I can tell. I don't really know. I'm very interested in what the committee does.
I will say right from the get-go that I'm a bit apprehensive. The reason being that things like the Zoning Code Sustainability ideas which were in the meeting announcement for the Madison Zoning Board or Zoning Committee kind of struck me very forcefully. "Broad strategies to apply to the zoning code re-write." They are in the process of re-writing their zoning codes and they're incoroporating sustainability ideas into the zoning codes.
For example, item 10: "Zoning should adapt to meet the demands of climate change; use zoning to address or mitigate effects, or adapt to climate change; remove any barriers to mitigating the effects, adapting to climate change (trees green space, mobility, renewable energy, land use)."
Point 11: "Write the code to allow the city to function when automobile travel will be serverely limited and oil-related products, including food and heating fuel, become prohibitively expensive because of the scarcity and high-cost of fuel."
Some alarming things mentioned there. There's a whole section on "Sustainability Ideas that can be addressed through Zoning"; including energy, water, Green infrastructure/Urban agriculture, public health...
One of those is: "Use permit process to limit number/density of fast food outlets and drive-through windows", similar to what was done with the fast cash businesses.
Density, mixed use/transit oriented development, residential districts. For example, Point 7: "Control maximum square footage (of dwellings)."
I read this and, as I say, I become a little apprehensive, because the term "sustainability" seems to draw together a number of political and economic ideas which I am uncomfortable with. The idea, for example, I've seen at some sustainability [web] sites of treating humans and animals equally. The push towards alternative energy; use of the precautionary principle in decisions; the push towards public transportation; incorporating "smart growth" ideas into the sustainability movement; resource allocation; and central planning. It makes me apprehensive.
That's why I'm here: I'm interested to see where this committee is going; if it is to become, say, a department within the city eventually -- and I see the Community Development Director, and Marge and John from the City Council -- so there is interest from the city government standpoint and also the running of the city from a city department and professional standpoint. So, I'm interested. I'd like to watch and listen. Thank you very much.
The full text of the Madison Zoning Board of Appeals Public Comment meeeting can be found <here>.