From The Editor's Desk

Dear Readers:

From my seat behind Zoning Administrator Dave Sadenwasser during last week’s Vilas County Zoning and Planning Committee meeting, I wasn’t initially sure what he was getting at as he tore pages from a binder while explaining the intricacies of “spot zoning.” It wasn’t until the very end when he dropped the whole book into the trash that his point hit home for me.

The zoning committee public hearing regarding the request to change a property on Morey Road from Single-Family Residential to Residential/Lodging brought up some interesting points on how and why zoning designations exist in the first place. Prior to that meeting, I had never heard the term spot zoning, and frankly, I had not put a lot of mental energy into learning how zoning works in the first place.

While I’m definitely still no expert, listening to input from people familiar with the topic — like Sadenwasser and longtime Town of Lincoln Plan Commission member Tripp Anderson — gave me insight into the intense work that goes into forming comprehensive plans. The giant task of creating a workable map that serves a municipality or county for decades is quite an undertaking. When requests for spot zoning occur, I can 100% see how that causes frustration for nearby neighbors, as well as those who spend their time crafting those designations.

There needs to be respect not only for those who are new to the area, but also for long-time residents who have invested in their neighborhoods. We’ve already seen how quiet residential areas have felt the impact since Wisconsin’s 2017 “Right to Rent” laws forced counties to allow short-term rentals. But when property owners ask for special rezone exemptions to go even further, local ordinances are the only tool neighborhoods have left.

Dave’s action was a perfect illustration of why keeping those local rules in place matters. If we make allowances for every person who doesn’t do their research before buying a property — assuming they can just change local laws later to fit their whims — things would get out of hand extremely quickly.

As people with big ideas and bigger bank accounts target the area, this problem isn’t disappearing anytime soon. I’m glad we have level-headed people on the zoning committee and working within the department trying to keep the Northwoods preserved.

As several residents and committee member Pat Weber pointed out, setting that kind of precedent creates a free-for-all that negates years of careful planning. I hear a lot that people don’t want this area to become the next Wisconsin Dells or Lake Geneva. I get behind that, because if we don’t rein in how growth happens, the very qualities that make this area so well-loved by residents, visitors, and retirees are likely to disappear.

Striking a balance between local business growth and neighborhood character isn’t easy, but respecting the rules we already have is the best place to start.

Michelle Drew

Editor