Preserve Cedarburg

The Latest Developments page is a spot for reports from citizens and a history of emails sent to all interested parties. 

Emails from Preserve Cedarburg are generated in order to provide notification of upcoming important meetings or developments.

 The first hand reports of activities of local government will only be included after a review by Preserve Cedarburg for acceptable content.  These reviews consist of opinions and reflections of the author's experiences at meetings they have attended. 

All reports reprinted here include the name of the reporter.  Preserve Cedarburg itself is a nameless collection of a large number of individuals.  It is not about personalities or promoting individuals.  It is all of us that share a common goal of protecting and preserving Cedarburg. 

If you have attended a meeting, in person or via Zoom, and would like to submit your report on what you took away from the meeting, please submit that to preservecedarburg@gmail.com. 

COMMON COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING 

THIS COMING MONDAY NIGHT AT 7:00 PM (10/13/25) THE COMMON COUNCIL WILL BE HOLDING A PUBLIC HEARING IN ORDER TO HEAR PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE LAND USE PLAN FOR 2025.

We encourage all of you to tell your friends and neighbors to attend this meeting.

IF you cannot attend in person, You can still attend the meeting over Zoom.  BUT, THE METHOD FOR ATTENDING THE MEETING VIA ZOOM HAS CHANGED.  ZOOM ADDRESSES THAT HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED BY THE CITY IN PUBLIC NOTICES MAY NOT BE VALID.  IF THERE IS ANY CHANCE THAT YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND THIS MEETING IN PERSON, YOU WILL NEED TO SEND AN EMAIL TO cityhall@cityofcedarburg.wi.gov no later than 12:00 noon on the day of the meeting (Monday 10/13/25).  They will email you back with the zoom code.

The Plan Commission has finalized their take on the Land Use Plan and are recommending that the Common Council approve it.

Now is the time for you, the citizens of Cedarburg to take a look at any changes that have been made to it at the Plan Commission level so that you are equipped to let the Common Council know what you think of it next Monday.

You do not need to be intimately familiar with the details of this plan to make your voice heard at this meeting.  Your opinions on how much development Cedarburg can tolerate is critical to guide the Common Council in their vote for this plan and will carry over when it comes to decisions in the future regarding individual housing developments.

As you will notice on the backside of the flyers being distributed and visible below, several Common Council members are up for re-election this next April.  Many of these elections go unchallenged.  This is a perfect opportunity to gauge how well your representative respects your views.

There is a tremendous amount of information wrapped into the complete Land Use Plan that wil be discussed.  Many of you will be interested in the recommendations for the SGA's (Smart Growth Areas).  Specifically what level of density is being planned for the various potential development sites around the city.

If you do desire more detailed information, follow the instructions below to look it up.

In order to view the Plan Commission's recommendations, go to:

cityofcedarburg.wi.gov

click on “Departments”

click on “Planning”

Under “News and & Announcements” click:

"Smart Growth Comprehensive Land Use Plan - Update

Under “October 13, 2025 Common Council Public Hearing Material” click:

“Collated Copy of Comp Plan Updates for 10-13-25”

Scroll down until you get to Chapter 8, “Land Use Elements”

In this section you will find the SGA descriptions.

To get more information about, for example, “high density residential” vs “high medium residential” go back to the “Update” page:

click on “Land Use Classifications Information Table” (located on left side of page)

All of the information is available here to determine density planned for in a particular SGA.

FLYER

10/8/25

This flyer is in the process of distribution all over Cedarburg

EMAIL

5/4/25

THIS COMING MONDAY NIGHT THE PLAN COMMISSION WILL BE TAKING UP THE DESIGNATION OF SGA 12

WE NEED YOU THERE

CITY HALL 3RD FLOOR

7:00 PM

SGA 12 is the very large tract of land on the Northwest corner of Hwy 60 and Sheboygan Rd.

The land owner in association with the developer Neumann Development have proposed turning that farmland and soccer fields into a sea of 440 residential homes.

You may remember Neumann as the developer that gave us all the Fairway Village on Washington Avenue where Baehmann's golf center used to be.  Enough said?

The houses adjacent to this property have been constructed with much less density than has been proposed here. 

Also, keep in mind that the remainder of the SGA's could come under discussion again by the wording of the Meeting Agenda.  We must not stop paying close attention to these proceedings. 

Your voice, your feelings, your opinions do not matter unless you share them with our City Government.  If you cannot make it to the meeting in person click the link below to join over Zoom.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86397465399

ATTENDEE REPORT

4/15/2025

EMAIL

4/14/25

(The following meeting reminder and explanation of the issues at the Plan Commission Meeting tonight was submitted to Preserve Cedarburg by the author and are reprinted here with their permission.  These comments are those of the author.)

To Preserve Cedarburg,

The following are my thoughts and understanding of the issues at hand for tonight's Plan Commission meeting.

Please feel free to share this with whomever.

Terry King

TONIGHTS PLAN COMMISSION MEETING REMINDER AND EXPLAINER

CITY HALL, UPSTAIRS MEETING ROOM 6:00 PM

The parcels of land that will be discussed tonight comprise the gateway to Cedarburg for those entering from the North and East down Sheboygan Road and into the City.  Some developments previously constructed on this road were well thought out and complementary to our city, while one in particular is overly dense and should not be used as a model for repetition.  Rather it should be seen as an aberration that surrounding developments should be designed to mitigate.

To almost all of the citizens of Cedarburg, the SGA designation codes and resulting zoning codes are confusing.  A simple way to view these codes is this.  When you hear the term Medium density, this is the designation that allows the kind of density that gave us the Fairway Village development on Washington Avenue North of the Fair park.  This type of development does not blend in with our City and should not be allowed to happen again within our City limits.  When you hear Medium or High-Medium,  Fairway (or even worse) should jump into your mind.

Tell the Plan Commission NO to Medium or High Medium designations ANYWHERE.

Below are the SGA's that the City has told us would be under discussion tonight.

SGA 8

The Plan Commission recommendation is currently to continue designating this density as Medium.

Medium density allows a Fairway density and worse.

The properties to the South are zoned RS 3 and the properties to the North are zoned RS 4 but have been built no more dense than an RS 3 density.  A Medium-Low density will limit the density to no higher than an RS 3 density.

This property should be designated as Medium-Low density OR LOWER to prevent a developer from developing to a code as dense as RS 6 on this site. 

A lower density than Medium-Low would give the City a higher level of control over the type, design and timing of development on this land.

SGA 9

This land is currently designated as Medium.  

The Plan Commission's current recommendation is to increase this density to high/medium.

High-Medium density allows a Fairway density and worse.

The surrounding land is zoned (and or built to) RS 3 density.

This property should be designated as Medium-Low density OR LOWER to prevent a developer from developing to a code as dense as RS 6 on this site.  

A lower density than Medium-Low would give the City a higher level of control over the type, design and timing of development on this land.

SGA 10

The Plan Commission recommendation is to change this parcel from manufacturing to business.  No opposition to this change

SGA 11

This land is currently designated as part Commercial, and part High-Density Residential (Elderly Housing).

The Plan Commission is recommending to re-classify this parcel to High-Medium residential.

High-Medium density allows a higher density than the Fairway development.

This property's designation should remain unchanged at this time.

The problem with changing the designation on this land is that the Common Council, the Plan Commission and we the citizens lose control over all aspects of the development in the future as long as the developer builds something that fits within the land use / zoning designation.

The way to maintain control over the project is to designate the land at the lowest density designation.  This will require the developer to come up with a plan that is acceptable to the City and its Citizens.  Once that plan is developed, then the Plan Commission can recommend a change of the land use designation to the Common Council.  At that time the Common Council and we the citizens get a chance to view the developer's proposal and weigh in.  

A decision will then be made to approve or not approve the development.  If approved, the designation is changed to allow the development to proceed.  If not approved, the developer must modify their plan to something the community will approve of.

SGA 12 

This land currently has three Land Use Classifications on it. 

Approximately the west 41 acres are classified as Medium-Density Residential

The southeast corner (approximately 15 acres) is classified as Office.

The remainder (approximately 176 acres) is classified Agricultural or Open Space. 

The Plan Commission is recommending continuation/expansion of land use classification Medium density Residential for this entire SGA.

Medium density allows a higher density than the Fairway development.

At this time the existing Land Use designations should remain in place with the exception being the parcel designated as Medium density.

Similar to SGA 11 - The problem with changing the designation on this land or maintaining the Medium designation on one portion is that the Common Council, the Plan Commission and we the citizens lose control over all aspects of the development in the future as long as the developer builds something that fits within the land use / zoning designation.

The way to maintain control over the project is to designate the land at the lowest density designation.  This will require the developer to come up with a plan that is acceptable to the City and its Citizens.  Once that plan is developed, then the Plan Commission can recommend a change of the land use designation to the Common Council.  At that time the Common Council and we the citizens get a chance to view the developer's proposal and weigh in.

A decision will then be made to approve or not approve the development.  If approved, the designation is changed to allow the development to proceed.  If not approved, the developer must modify their plan to something the community will approve of.

ONE LAST THING.

The Plan Commission, in designating these lands, if approved by the Common Council, is making decisions that will dramatically increase the population of the City of Cedarburg without considering the costs of doing so.

They are making huge decisionS without the benefit of data that should come from OBJECTIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE STUDIES PERTAINING TO:

...THE TRAFFIC IMPACTS ON THE ENTIRE CITY OF ALL THESE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS.

...THE INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS TO SUPPORT THIS POPULATION INCREASE.  

...THE INCREASE IN CRIME AND TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS.

...THE DECREASE IN TOURISM INCOME TO BUSINESS DUE TO OVER-CROWDING.

...THE INCREASE IN TAXES TO PAY FOR SOLUTIONS TO ALL OF THE ABOVE.

GUEST EDITORIAL

4/9/25

The following guest editorial was submitted to Preserve Cedarburg with permission to re-print on this site. 

It has been submitted by the author to the News Graphic for inclusion in the Letter to the Editor section and slated to be in print in the April 10 edition.  

We are including it here for those of you that do not receive the News Graphic or in the event that this letter is not published.  

PLEASE ATTEND -- MONDAY , APRIL 14, 6PM, PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING!

Cedarburg, your passionate voices and strong turnout at recent meetings to express your

concerns regarding over development in our city have been truly inspiring! Thank you for

showing up at Planning Commission and Common Council meetings, and the packed

public hearing in December. Thank you to all who have posted signs in yards proclaiming,

“Cedarburg, STOP the OVER DEVELOPMENT. Your calls and emails to our city leaders

make a difference!

At the December public hearing the community spoke. “Put on the brakes, ” we said. “Slow

down”, we said. “Do not develop yet another vacant parcel in Cedarburg into a high-density

apartment complex. ” That was our message to the Planning Committee.

Now, the fight continues. The Planning Commission is meeting again on Monday, April 14th

at 6 pm at City Hall, and crucial Smart Growth Areas (SGAs) 8 through 12 are on the

agenda. Importantly, SGA-11, at the southeast corner of Sheboygan Road and Hwy I – the

very spot the Mandel group wants to build over 200 apartments – is being discussed again.

The Planning Commission intends to reconsider the classification of this land, which could

pave the way for this high-density development. We've already made our opposition clear:

Cedarburg needs smart, thoughtful growth, not more high-density apartments

overwhelming our community.

We need your powerful presence once more on April 14th to reiterate our stance. Let's

remind the Planning Commission, with a united voice, NO MORE high-density apartments

in our beloved Cedarburg. Your voice is essential. I'll be there and I sincerely hope you will

join me. Thank you for your continued dedication!

Chris Maresh

We at Preserve Cedarburg agree with the ideas presented above and can only add the reminder that the meeting referenced is scheduled to be held one hour earlier than normal at 6:00 PM.  As the City has not yet released the agenda for this meeting on their website, we cannot state with certainty which room will be used at City Hall.  Stay tuned for details.  But definitely plan to attend this meeting.

EMAIL

4/2/25

Hello all,

A big THANK YOU to all who came out and voted yesterday.

As a collective of like thinking individuals, Preserve Cedarburg did not issue any endorsements for the local candidates in yesterday's election.

Preserve Cedarburg will only endorse a candidate based upon the only issue binding us:  Preventing Over Development. 

If we as a group decide that one candidate for a local office is significantly different from their opponent on issues relating to this one goal, then and only then will we issue an endorsement.

We are a very diverse group (politically speaking) in regard to other issues.  We may personally disagree strongly with one another regarding state or national policies, nevertheless we put those things aside and focus on this one critical issue that we all agree upon.

That is one of the reasons that there are no named "leaders" or "representatives" of this collective.  Each of us agree that Cedarburg should not become just another over-crowded, bypassable, traffic jammed suburb of Milwaukee.  Each of us have an equal voice and vote for the healthy future of Cedarburg.
 

                SIGNS, SIGNS, NOT EVERYWHERE ARE SIGNS.


Most of our signs have gone through a couple of snowfalls and some very windy conditions since being proudly placed in front of our homes.  

If you have had your sign blow away or had your metal stand broken, let us know.  We will have a volunteer come out and replace what needs to be replaced.

Some people removed their signs before damaging conditions arrived and have them back in place un-damaged.  We thank you for that.

We have a good supply of signs on hand that need to find a home.

The good news is that we were able to find a new supplier of the signs which brought our cost down to $10 per sign.

As always there is no cost to you for your sign, (new or replacement) however, donations have enabled us to purchase additional signs and cover the cost of door hangers. 

Your donations are crucial and very much appreciated.




                                 WHERE ARE WE IN THE PROCESS?    IMPORTANT MEETINGS COMING UP!

EMAIL

3/18/25

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE

A PC volunteer has reported that NONE of the links to the meeting are operational.  

He is at the meeting and the Mayor and the Plan Commission are fully aware that the Teams website does not work and therefore there is nobody on the site.

They are proceeding with the meeting even though many of you cannot participate because one of the methods you were told you could rely on to attend the meeting is not operational.

Mikko stated that you folks that were not able to attend the meeting could always get a recording of the meeting.

Our volunteer pointed out to them that hearing a recording of a meeting after the fact is not the same as having an opportunity to have your voices heard at the meeting.

They did not feel that the loss of your input warranted postponing the meeting.


We regret that we passed along the incorrect information provided by the city.

EMAIL

3/18/25

Update regarding the Plan Commission meeting for this evening:
The meeting will begin at 6:00 pm and will be held in the LOWER level of City Hall.

EMAIL

3/14/25

Hello everyone,

EMAIL

2/10/25

We thank all of you that attended the most recent Plan Commision meeting.  As some of you already knew, these meetings can be quite tedious to sit through.  However, as you have witnessed, your participation makes ALL of the difference.

Some of the plan commissioners heard loud and clear that the citizens of Cedarburg are disappointed in the number and types of development that have come our way in recent years. While some of them still have not heard you or discount your opinion. 

For those of you that left the meeting early after SGA 1 was changed in the current potential plan, we feel that there are some things you need to know.

The plan commission can and could at any time change the designation back to something you do not favor before submitting the plan to a vote in the Common Council.

The designations in the “Smart” Growth Comprehensive Plan for ALL of the other designations could also have a deleterious effect on You, Your Family and Cedarburg as a whole.

The city’s “housing study” that they are using to justify overdevelopment was shopped out to an engineering firm that provided a Pro Development bias.

The only traffic study that has been ordered only covers the streets north of Bridge street.  We need a comprehensive traffic study.  One that covers the entire city of Cedarburg and we need it to be completed by an engineering company that is un-biased toward growth.  We need to see the results of that study before ANY decisions are made regarding higher density designation changes for land in the City as well as those lands considered for potential annexation.

We need an OBJECTIVE infrastructure study to ascertain what future costs we will face resulting from future developments.  Developments over the past decade are about to hit your wallets very hard in the form of an expensive re-vamp or replacement of our Sewer facilities.  Were you warned about these entirely predictable costs when the Common Council and Mayor approved these housing developments?  Nope.

We need an OBJECTIVE study of our school capacities and forecasts.  One that not only considers recent demographic trends but also included the possibility of a reversal of these trends.  What will it cost to construct new schools?  What will it cost us in the quality of our children’s educations if trends reverse and classes become over-crowded?

In short, no designation changes toward higher density should be made before we have all of the relevant information, all of the (OBJECTIVE) studies in front of us and we the citizens agree to these changes.

Finally and more importantly, any designations on the land use plan should only be of the lowest densities.  The reasons are obvious.  So obvious that the Mayor and certain other members of our local government are well aware of them.

The only tools Cedarburg has to control developers are these designations.  If a developer wants to build to a higher density than these designations allow, they must present a plan for the development that satisfies the desires of local government and you the citizens.  This plan includes the spacing of houses and the appearance of same.  Only after we are all satisfied with the plans would the designation change to the density the developer desires.

If a piece of land already carries the designation that the developer desires, the plan commission and the common council have no power to prevent another ugly, overly dense project.  Any attempts to stop a bad development would be met with lawsuits against the city.

Put it simply the Mayor and certain other representatives desire to take away the control over developers that future mayors and commissioners would need.  This is a blatant attempt to limit the power of your votes into the future.

For all of the reasons listed above we want to strongly encourage all of you to understand that ALL of the SGA designations matter a great deal.  After the discussion of SGA 1, when many people left the building some very important discussions took place involving an SGA that could have a very negative impact on your lives regardless of where you live.

Again, we do very much appreciate any involvement you are willing to provide in these efforts, but please consider attending all relevant meetings and staying until the end.  Even If they are not discussing the SGA in your backyard, the entire plan is very important to you individually and to the City of Cedarburg as a whole.  

EMAIL

12/29/24

Hello All,

I hope you have all been enjoying the holidays.  

It was very encouraging to see the wonderful turnout at the Open House on the 17th.
Thank you to all of you that came out and to those of you that spoke up for what you believe.

What is next?

We will see.  Your voices were expressed loud and clear to the Plan Commission, the Mayor and by members of the Common Council.  How those representatives respond to that input from you, the citizens they serve, remains to be seen.

We will try to keep you apprised of upcoming meetings of the Plan Commission and the Common Council, but hopefully, many of you will prove that you meant what you said at the Town Hall.  

By becoming familiar wtih the cityofcedarburg.wi.gov website. 

By making yourself aware of upcoming meetings and their agenda items.

By attending those meetings in person or on Zoom.

By continuing to speak your mind at said meetings.

By writing letters to the editor to express your views.

By contacting your Alderperson and letting them know your views.


Our efforts are just beginning.  We have a lot of work ahead of us.  Preserving Cedarburg is so much worth that effort.

EMAIL

12/17/24

FINAL REMINDER!   TONIGHT IS THE OPEN HOUSE AND PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING PORTIONS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN AT THE CEDARBURG CULTURAL CENTER BEGINNING AT 6:00 PM.  PLEASE FIND A WAY TO ATTEND THIS FUNCTION.  

THE FOLLOWING LETTER EMBRACES THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE MANY PEOPLE THAT MAKE UP PRESERVE CEDARBURG.

Preserve Cedarburg believes that any changes to the Strategic Growth Areas (SGAs) are not in the best interest of Cedarburg at this time..  Here's why.

Designation changes sacrifice the leverage the City has over developers.  Leverage is critical.  Without it the City has no way to ensure that developments are designed and built in a way that enhances Cedarburg and do not end up being a blight on our community.

It's important to see the results of OBJECTIVE studies before deciding on increased population in any area of Cedarburg.  

A full traffic study providing an understanding of the impact throughout Cedarburg is needed.  A study of a small section of the city provides an incomplete, inaccurate picture.  Development without a complete understanding of crime and traffic impacts is irresponsible.

Comprehensive infrastructure analysis is required.  Adding stress to the infrastructure without quantifying costs is short sighted.

If birth rates increase or demographic projections on new households prove inaccurate, will we be able to maintain the quality of education without having to spend millions of dollars for school construction?

Losing all green space inside City boundaries leaves no options for public usage such as parks, senior centers, offices, commercial use, etc.

This in no way should be construed as an opposition to all development or growth.  If we change none of the SGA designations now, a path still exists for a change to designations when appropriate.  Only then, when a proposed development meets the requirements put forth by our elected leaders and is supported by the public it serves, should a designation be changed.

Finally, the re-designation of these areas now would tie the hands of our future representatives.  A future Mayor and/or Common Council would be facing legal difficulties in trying to follow the will of the citizens at that point in time.  Those future leaders will need to have the same control over development that our current leaders possess.

Use your voice. Fill out the comment cards. 

NO CHANGES TO SGA DESIGNATIONS AT THIS TIME.

the best use of the SGA's

 

the level of traffic in the city

 

whether the city has overbuilt in the recent past

 

whether the schools would decline if overdevelopment continues

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

(The following letter to the editor was submitted by Terry King to the Ozaukee News Graphic and printed in the December 12, 2024 edition.  We are reprinting this letter in its entirety at the request of the author.  This letter was written in response to a Guest Opinion article written by Common Council member and Plan Commission member Jim Fitzpatrick, that appeared in the November 28th edition of the News Graphic.  In his article, Jim Fitzpatrick (among other things) called into question the intent of you, the adherents to Preserve Cedarburg.)

 Before commenting on the "sentiment" of hundreds of Cedarburg citizens that comprise Preserve Cedarburg, perhaps Jim Fitzpatrick should take the time to read the information on preservecedarburg.com and not just notice the signs.  We are tired of seeing the types of development recent Mayors and Councils have approved.  These developments do not fit in with our community.   They are highly visible examples of over-development.  Our current representatives are now trying to annex more land and change zoning on existing lands in the city for more of the above. 

 In his "Guest Opinion" I welcome you to follow Council Member Fitzpatrick's logic: 
If Cedarburg does not grow in population every year in an amount exceeding the rate of inflation, "city services will deteriorate".
The Mayor has stated time and again in public meetings that we do not have much land left to develop.
Therefore, in a few years, even if we allow the city to develop all the remaining land, Mr. Fitzpatrick is telling us that, at that time, "city services will deteriorate".

 Who is kicking the can down the road now?  We will run into this fiscal situation one way or another.  So why risk damaging what we have here in Cedarburg through overdevelopment, just to postpone the inevitable by a few years? The time to fix the fiscal situation is now.  Disconnect the issue of city finances from decisions involving development. 

 When Council Member Fitzgerald mentions upcoming expensive projects our city is potentially facing, keep in mind these infrastructure 
costs were predictable and exacerbated by the high density housing projects completed over the last decade.  

 Development also means Improvement.  Improvement is what Cedarburg wants.  Single family homes on decent size lots may not make developers or land owners rich, but more high density housing is definitely not improvement.  
 

ATTENDEE REPORT

October 16, 2024

Plan commission, special meeting. 

The meeting of the Plan Commission on August 16th was very informative.  Citizen involvement through contacting the Mayor and your Council members and attending the meetings are  definitely having an effect on the overall tone of the Plan Commission and that of the Common Council.  Any who have not yet added these activities, please consider it.  Your increased participation in these matters is crucial to preserving Cedarburg.  Just standing by and hoping others will stand up for you may result in further degradation of Cedarburg.   Just expressing displeasure about changes that have taken place, after the fact, is pointless without doing something to prevent the next mistake.

When I received the email from PreserveCedarburg.com I was at first confused.  The email stated that the meeting would begin at 5:00pm.  I, of course had clicked on the "Notify Me" button on cityofcedarburg.wi.org a few months ago, so I had already received the email from the city that included the agenda.  However, I visit the City's website fairly often for other reasons and when I clicked on the Plan Commission from the Government tab, the page clearly showed a 7:00pm start time for the meeting.  To be on the safe side I Zoomed in at 5:00.

At the beginning of the meeting I inquired as to what constitutes legal notice of a meeting.  City  Administrator Miko Hilvo indicated that the law required a 24 hour notice.  I pointed out that as of that morning the City website still displayed a 7:00 pm start time.  Miko claimed that even though some of the available information from the city was inaccurate, he felt legal notice had been given.  

I further pointed out that a 5:00pm start time for a meeting involving an issue that, by law, requires public input is too early for many in the public to attend.  Mayor Thome said that since they decided 5:00 was more convenient for them months ago, the time was fine.  I encourage each of you to reach out to your representatives, including Mayor Thome to express your feelings.  Scheduling meetings at inconvenient times for the citizenry is unacceptable. Especially when the subject of the meeting is very important to those citizens.

A large portion of this meeting was devoted to a report from a representative from Verbicher Engineering.  This is the outside engineering firm that was hired by the city with your tax dollars to provide an OBJECTIVE comprehensive report on the housing makeup of Cedarburg.  This report compared Cedarburg to other similar sized cities in Wisconsin and nationwide.  At the earlier meeting, when questioned as to the value of this study, the answer given indicated that this information would just be one tool in the toolbox to help make smart growth decisions.

The fact that Cedarburg cannot logically be compared to most any other city in Wisconsin was not even mentioned in the report.  As you all know Cedarburg is a nationally recognized jewel of a city.  Not just for the historic downtown, but also for the community that surrounds it and the rural nature that surrounds the community.  The appropriate quantity, type and density of housing in Cedarburg cannot be determined by statistical data gleaned from other similar sized cities. Those cities have a completely different character.

The most disturbing part of this presentation, in my opinion, was the obvious pro-growth stance of the report.  Statements such as "Growth is positive" and "Cedarburg is lucky to have interested developers" and “The market does not allow minimal growth” are clearly subjective and biased toward growth.  This is not what we paid for.

The report further recommended a goal of 15.9% growth by 2040.  This despite the lack of new  land to grow into.  This representative further talked of filling any vacant lots in the city with two family homes, perhaps reducing lot sizes, and razing older single family homes to build multi family homes on the same lot.  He talked of us building new schools to accommodate the growth.

He further stated that housing prices and rents decrease as inventory increases.  Stating that this has already occurred in Cedarburg due to recent developments.  No data backing up this claim was provided.

Only when challenged about the potential downsides of this growth did the representative mention that there could be some negatives associated with this growth and that these growth targets would have to be acceptable to the community.

Beside myself, there were four or five individuals present at the meeting that all spoke against Cedarburg continuing to grow at a time when we have not yet felt the full impact of projects currently underway.  Many good points were brought up by the public to the Plan Commission.  Those attending the meeting and speaking up are to be commended.

Toward the end of the meeting the Plan Commission shifted toward a tone more cooperative toward inclusion of Cedarburg resident's desires.  They indicated that some type of meetings to gauge public attitudes would commence in November.  Keep in mind, we are still lacking some very important information that will needed before the public can effectively weigh in with their opinions.

We must make sure that the city does not wrap up the public input portion of the land use plan prior to the results of all relevant studies.  If preliminary public meetings are held next month, these meetings must be widely advertised and conveniently scheduled.  The conversations in this preliminary meeting should be limited to informing the public as to what steps are planned in order to formulate the Land Use Plan.  Perhaps this public input can lead to modifications or improvements to the plan itself.  Specifically, the city should spell out what studies will be conducted.  Studies that will predict the costs associated with different levels of growth. (ie. city wide traffic study, school construction needs and costs.  other infrastructure needs and costs.)  The same diligent research that is required to inform our representatives must be also be provided to the citizenry BEFORE final public input is solicited.

Respectfully submitted to Preserve Cedarburg by Terry King

EMAIL

10/15/2024

Good Evening,

In regard to the email that went out last night concerning the Common Council meeting, we realize the notification was last minute.  This is due to a last minute decision to begin sending these emails out.  In last nights email there was a notification of the Plan Commission meeting scheduled for tomorrow night (Wednesday 16).  For reasons yet to be determined, this meeting is scheduled to begin at 5pm.  That is correct 5pm.  We feel that this is a rediculous time to hold a meeting that will be discussing some very important issues relating to the 2025 Land Use Plan.

The Zoom link to this meeting is here:

Agenda items include the following:

C.* Review and discussion on matters related to the Comprehensive Plan Update including:

• Chapter 2 – The Housing Element.

o Follow-up discussion relating to the Preliminary Housing Report

received.

• Chapter 8 – The Land Use Element

o Twelve Smart Growth Areas (1, 4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, and 20).

o Chapter text review.

This is an important meeting to attend live or on Zoom.

EVEN IF YOU DO NOT SPEAK AT THESE MEETINGS, THE MERE FACT THAT THEY KNOW THEY ARE BEING WATCHED HAS AN EFFECT ON THESE IMPORTANT ISSUES.

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This email and any future email are being sent to folks like you who have asked for and received a sign as well as people who have not requested a sign but desire to be on this list.   The only purpose of these emails is to help you be informed about decisions that are being made that affect your lives in Cedarburg.  Your contact information is not being shared with anyone in any way.

If you do not want to be included in these emails in the future, just let us know and we will remove you from the contact list.

If you know someone who would like to be added to the list, have them reach out to us at preservecedarburg@gmail.com

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EMAIL

10/14/24

Hello all,

This is the first alert message we are sending out.

Tonight's Common Council Meeting has on the agenda discussion about the Cedarburg City Budget.  This will include discussions about the tax Levy, increases to your tax bill, a 50% increase in your water bill and discussions about other important decisions that will affect your lives in Cedarburg.  

Once again, if you have not personally gone to the city website at: 

cityofcedarburg.wi.gov

...then selected Common Council

...and then selected the agenda for tonight…

you would not have known these important discussions / decisions were taking place.

The City of Cedarburg prefers to do its business with only the minimum amount of oversight required by law.

This meeting will begin at 7:00 pm in City Hall on the third floor.  You can also attend the meeting via Zoom.  The Zoom link is available on the Common Council link on the above website.  

Here is the link

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81753339104

There is also a very important meeting of the Plan Commission on Wednesday night.

Agenda items include the following:

C.* Review and discussion on matters related to the Comprehensive Plan Update including:

• Chapter 2 – The Housing Element.

o Follow-up discussion relating to the Preliminary Housing Report

received.

• Chapter 8 – The Land Use Element

o Twelve Smart Growth Areas (1, 4, 5, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, and 20).

o Chapter text review.

This is also an important meeting to attend live or on Zoom.

EVEN IF YOU DO NOT SPEAK AT THESE MEETINGS, THE MERE FACT THAT THEY KNOW THEY ARE BEING WATCHED HAS AN EFFECT ON THESE IMPORTANT ISSUES.

********************************************************************************************

This email and any future email are being sent to folks like you who have asked for and received a sign as well as people who have not requested a sign but desire to be on this list.  The only purpose of these emails is to help you be informed about decisions that are being made that affect your lives in Cedarburg.  Your contact information is not being shared with anyone in any way.

If you do not want to be included in these emails in the future, just let us know and we will remove you from the contact list.

If you know someone who would like to be added to the list, have them reach out to us at preservecedarburg@gmail.com

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ATTENDEE REPORT

August 12, 2024 

At the Cedarbug Common Council Meeting tonight, the Council approved two contracts that had been recommended by the Plan Commission.

The first contract is for a housing study.  This study is designed to give an “objective” opinion as to the type of housing that Cedarburg should add.

I spoke at the meeting via Zoom and pointed out that this study as well as other statistical data comparing Cedarburg to Ozaukee County and the State of Wisconsin would have limited value.  This because Cedarburg is such a unique community not only state wide but nationwide.

Council representatives assured that this study and other statistical information are only tools to be used in conjunction with many other sources of information to develop the Land Use Plan.

The second contract that was approved by the council is for a much more expensive traffic study.

I spoke out against this contract due to the fact that the study only considers traffic North of Bridge Street.  I stated that I thought we should not rush into paying $30,000.00 now for a study that does not include the largest bottleneck in our city.  That being Washington Avenue through our downtown and its connections to ALL of the main streets that intersect it.

I was once again assured that this study is only one tool in the toolbox to be taken into consideration of the overall Land Use Plan.

Overall, in my opinion the city is rushing through the process and wasting tax payer dollars by not doing their due diligence at every step along the way.

The statistical housing data that I referenced above as well as the contracts are all included in the Cedarburg Plan Commission Agenda from August 5, 2024 available on the city website at:

cityofcedarburg.wi.gov

respectively submitted by

Terry King