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A proposed development threatens parts of the Middleton Bike Park and ski trails. Middleton Public Lands Manager Penni Klein asked for our support and presence at the 8/19 Parks Rec & Forestry Commission and 8/28 Conservancy Lands Commission meetings.

The illustration here may look bad for biking but the developer and city are interested in working with us. The development is expected to have park or conservancy land and city staff has said isolated and unused land is no good.

It is also no small or cheap task to accommodate sewer, water and streets. Pleasant View Road would have to have a round about and significant engineering and the developer can't just make streets in the utility easement. It is also not clear how the golf course would be redesigned and who covers that cost.

The graphic attached shows the proposed development, and an approximation of where biking, skiing and building occurs.

Key contacts.

Penni Klein
Public Lands Manager
(608) 827-1044
pklein@ci.middleton.wi.us

Eileen Kelley
Planning Director / Zoning Administrator
ekelley@ci.middleton.wi.us
(608) 821-8370

Please help get people in attendance Monday and later in the month. Nelson and I are working with Penni. We need to show the developers prime examples of excellent trail and illustrate how we've given tens of thousands of labor and real money.

The right partnership with the developer may give us better access to the best terrain on the property.

Thank you.

WJL

That looks tough to compete against, and who needs a jump line, when you could have a road instead? :'(

After looking over the area for the proposed trail, I think your approach makes sense.

-There's no guarantee that the development plans will be approved. If we wait until the final decision is made, we will have wasted a lot of time.

-If there are trails in place, that's a strong argument that any housing development must provide easement ( a way to ride through) for riders to access the trails on both sides of the development as a condition for approval of the project by the city of Middleton.

-Funds to hire an industrial mower and Ditchwitch plus professional operators are available now, and may not be next year.

-The potential loss of the jump line is a blow. Any talk of compensation? The manager of the golf course seemed to think that a bike lane with the proposed access road was doable.

Walt

Are the outlots being dedicated to the city as park land?

If so perhaps we can push to have the city ask the developer pay for (singletrack) trail install in the outlots, before the city accepts the park land. Compensatory mitigation, at least 1.5 to 2x of distance of any trails destroyed and/or isolated by the development. Would be nice to have some stacked loops of singletrack in those outlots. Might also be nice to have a parking area, bike wash and trail access from the NE corner of the development, too.

Seems like this development will go through, given the value of the lots that will back up to the GC.
It would be good to map out our preferred trail routes in the outlots prior to the 8/19 meeting.

After looking over the area for the proposed trail, I think your approach makes sense.

-There's no guarantee that the development plans will be approved. If we wait until the final decision is made, we will have wasted a lot of time.

-If there are trails in place, that's a strong argument that any housing development must provide easement ( a way to ride through) for riders to access the trails on both sides of the development as a condition for approval of the project by the city of Middleton.

-Funds to hire an industrial mower and Ditchwitch plus professional operators are available now, and may not be next year.

-The potential loss of the jump line is a blow. Any talk of compensation? The manager of the golf course seemed to think that a bike lane with the proposed access road was doable.

Walt

On site meetings are being arranged later in the month in order to educate more.

Examples of the education required:

In 8/14 conversations with Jane Grabowski-Miller (developer) and Eileen Kelley (city zoning) they felt the conservancy on north side of town was a suitable replacement or equivalent. That is not a mountain bike property, and parents in my neighborhood who allow kids to use the safe metro pathways to Pleasant View said it's absurd for the developer and woman from city hall to think kids would pedal or walk 3-4x the distance and cross two highways.

If the CORP volunteer labor from start to now were minimum wage, that alone could be throwing away tens of thousands of dollars. Add the real costs of design, materials, contractors who helped and your argument for compensation makes sense.

The development includes open space but the city should not have public lands cut off from use.

Our tasks to educate are very clear because Jane Grabowski-Miller and Eileen Kelley were clueless not knowing the difference between sustainable single track trail and the miserable gravel paths that erode in the lands they suggested were suitable replacements. The meetings should help that.

I hope people attend the public and working meetings with open ears and good questions.

Public Lands Manager Penni says we're to carry on because this is a proposal, not a development project, and supports our model where we've been an easy group to manage and maintain what we build and use.

Are the outlots being dedicated to the city as park land?

If so perhaps we can push to have the city ask the developer pay for (singletrack) trail install in the outlots, before the city accepts the park land. Compensatory mitigation, at least 1.5 to 2x of distance of any trails destroyed and/or isolated by the development. Would be nice to have some stacked loops of singletrack in those outlots. Might also be nice to have a parking area, bike wash and trail access from the NE corner of the development, too.

Seems like this development will go through, given the value of the lots that will back up to the GC.
It would be good to map out our preferred trail routes in the outlots prior to the 8/19 meeting.

Our land manager and some city staff have been educated in the IMBA and DNR trail classes where they know the elements of design for sustainable trails. Also educated with what doesn't work (fall line, eroding gravel) in other properties. With that Penni said she doesn't want the city to accept pathways that will be hard to maintain and not attractive as recreation resources.

I do not venture on that private land, nor do I have much time to spare but one city staff did say a best line into the west woods and gullies may be from the proposed neighborhood.

My suggestion for best perspective and and understanding of what's been done and planned outside of this real estate development is ride a bike from the Greenway Station area across the bridge and to the west end of the property looking at the gullies, knobs and land features.

The long planned improvements to west side trails are still going on this year. The late spring, delays with S. Fork trail and now a mechanical problem with contractor will probably start that next week instead of last year and April as planned. I will not spend as much time where homes are proposed but also not stop riders from the resources when all this will not happen overnight.

It is very important for the mountain biking community to know the public meetings are what really count vs any thing said or done here, and we hope to see riders there.

Thank you.

Speaking as The Mayor now (and former mayor of Rockdale): I agree 100% with the sentiments of getting people to the meetings. Riders, kids, Blackhawk users, anyone who wants the facilities as proposed to go forward and not stopped or reversed. Nothing speaks bigger than having people show up to meetings. It worked here back in the days we were trying to get approval for trails at CamRock.
And never think that this project is approved just because someone put a pretty proposal drawing together. As Mayor we worked with two developers for a year and a half on proposed developments for Rockdale. We annexed land, developed subdivision ordinances, had 100's of hours of meetings, and ultimately after much negotiation even approved all of the ordinances, annexations, and the subdivisions. They never got built. One of the developers folded and the other could not get financing. Go figure.
I see a number of issues beyond our conflicts from first glance at the proposal: They are also messing with the golf course. That will surely rile some folks up. And as William said who pays to redesign and re-construct the course? Frankly I am surprised they would even touch that. There is also a lot of infrastructure for the amount of lots being proposed. A lot of costly infrastructure with only a few sales. Though I am sure they are above the average for lots in the area. The low density of this proposal will not sit well with a lot of folks, I am sure some on City Council, and particularly the county. Plus they are messing with a plan that the city has put in place and invested a lot of $ in. And they are proposing taking public lands out of public use for private. Not taken lightly by a lot of folks.

Remember this is only a proposal. I would not assume by any stretch that this will be approved, particularly i we make our presence known. And even if it is. If we have existing trails that are messed with, I would think the worst-case would be that a fair bit of compensation $ would be given to replace those trails with some nice contractor built trails.
So get to the meetings if at all possible. In the meantime lets build and ride!

Are these plans on the agenda at these meetings?  I am happy to come out, but would be a little bummed if I sat through a meeting in which the topic didn't come up.  Though I would likely get some sleep.

Are these plans on the agenda at these meetings?  I am happy to come out, but would be a little bummed if I sat through a meeting in which the topic didn't come up.  Though I would likely get some sleep.

All the info I have and public notices follow. It appears to be 3rd on the agenda.

http://www.ci.middleton.wi.us/index.aspx?nid=112
http://sire.cityofmiddleton.us/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=930&doctype=AGENDA

Attendance is a personal decision but the public meetings and government proceedings are first play in the game and final score.

This is the first of two meetings where the developer presents their proposal to the two groups over the property. In this case the PRFC is who we report to. This is official presentation of the proposal the developers, and a chance to ask questions and make statements in the governmental process. I'm sure some boredom but it is what it is.

I am being asked by many what is proper if this destroys the results of a prestigious grant, many donations, and the hundreds of hours of labor donated each year. Those concerned need to ask that of the developer and PRFC members.

To the lurkers and newcomers: We have our public trails at Blue Mound, CamRock, Quarry Ridge and this site because people attended public meetings participated in the political process.

What I took from last nights Park and Rec meeting:

On the good side:   
   - The plan is an initial conception, so it is very easy to change at this point.
   -The developer did seem interested in working with us and trying to make things work for everybody.
   -Blackhawk and MadNorSki had representatives there, and that is alot of folks who have similar concerns as us.  Yes, their trails look different than ours, but they have concerns about chopping up the usable areas and road crossings that are the same as ours.

On the down side:
   - The road goes right over the pump track/jump-line, and I don't see them being to excited about changing that.  The development has another access on US-14, which they indicated could be the only access, but not having the Pleasant View access reduces the desirability of the lots quite a bit.
   -It is the golf course that is trying to develop the lots that are on the course, which are the most problematic ones for us.  Apparently the golf course has some sort of debt coming due, and sees selling eight or so lots as a way to pay it off.  I don't have much detail on this, or much understanding of how their debt is structured, or how the golf course is managed at that level, but I think it would be better if they were fully on our side.
   - They are looking to break ground in the spring, so things are going to move relatively fast.

Hard to tell:
   - The developer's representative answered alot of questions with "I don't know," such as whether the green space in the development would be public, or privately owned by the neighborhood association, which obviously has pretty big implications as to whether there would be acceptable trails through them.  Hard to tell whether they really don't know, or don't want to answer.

For now, it is pretty important to keep the areas we have done looking good and being used, so if you have time to come out in the next few weeks, especially on Tuesday nights, either to do a little manicuring or to ride, or both, please do so.

I do have to say that, having sat on the clubhouse patio for a beer after riding for the first time, it is a hard spot to beat for a post ride drink.  And it is downhill the whole way home.

Jon

Is there a time for today's meeting? I'm not seeing the pertinent details.

Is there a time for today's meeting? I'm not seeing the pertinent details.

There is a 4 PM on site meeting for leaders from the use groups (city staff, bike, ski, golf, conservation, developer, and Blackhawk interests). I will attend, and leadership such as crew leader, steward, board member are welcome.

There is a 7 PM public meeting of the Conservancy Lands Commission and the developer will present their proposal.

http://sire.cityofmiddleton.us/meeting.aspx?cabinet=published_meetings&docid=113719

The property has both recreation and conservancy lands, thus the presentations going to two groups.

I'll be there.

Would it be rude to get there around 7:45?

Would it be rude to get there around 7:45?

Only if your child is one of the Eagle Scouts listed earlier in the agenda.