Western county municipalities form alliance to address anticipated growth
By Jason Arndt
Editor
Before the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission adopted its Vision 2050 plan in 2016, officials with the agency conducted extensive outreach efforts to plan for the future, but they did not anticipate the arrival of Foxconn Technology Group.
Considering the massive multi-billion dollar Foxconn project in the Village of Mount Pleasant, where there could be 13,000 new jobs and an increased transportation services, SEWRPC officials had to take a second look at its Vision 2050 Plan.
The plan, which encompasses seven counties in Southeastern Wisconsin, is a regional land use and transportation template prepared by the agency.
On Tuesday, at the Rochester Village Hall, SEWRPC Executive Director Michael G. Hahn told officials from multiple Western Racine County municipalities about a proposed amendment.
“We saw the significant regional effect that it will be. We decided we need to certainly account for the transportation changes that are going to be a part of that,” he said. “We have to look at the effect of Foxconn in the immediate area around the site and also extending out into the region as well.”
According to SEWRPC documents, the immediate area mainly lies in the villages of Sturtevant, Mount Pleasant, Union Grove and Yorkville in Racine County.
To address the primary impact area, SEWPRC officials took transportation routes into consideration and future population growth while maintaining consistency with the comprehensive plans of affected municipalities.
Hahn, who said the amendment could be approved in December, reportedly told officials in attendance he has received feedback on the transportation portion of the plan.
Expansion of state roads, like Highway 20, is under consideration, according to Hahn.
To read the full story, including predictions for population growth and job creation, see the Sept. 27-28 editions of the Burlington Standard Press, Waterford Post and Westine Report.
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