dated, residential development should be limited
to rural-density single-family development in upland
areas, excluding areas of steep slope. Preferably,
residences and supporting roadways should be
located on the fringcs of the cnvironmcntally scnsi-
tive areas. Development plans should be carefully
reviewed to ensure that site design and construction
activities minimize disturbance of existing natu-
ral features.
Where recreational, transportation, or utility
development is proposed to be located within envi-
ronmentally sensitive areas, site design and devel-
opment should be sensitive to, and cause the least
possible disturbance of, natural conditions.
0   Under the plan, those areas which are neither
designated for future urban use nor recommended
for preservation as environmentally sensitive areas
are identified as "agricultural and rural-density resi-
dential land." These areas would encompass about
1,332 square miles, or about 50 percent of the total
area of the Region, in the year 2020. The plan
recommends that these areas be maintained in
rural use. The plan encourages the continuation of
agricultural uses in these areas. In particular, the
plan seeks to preserve, insofar as practicable, the
most productive farmland, identified as farmland
covered by U. S. Natural Resources Conservation
Service agricultural capability Class I and Class II
soils. Under the plan, the conversion of farmlands
covered by Class I and Class II soils to urban use
would be limited to lands located in proximity to
existing urban service areas as necessary for the
orderly growth and development of those urban
areas as well as to lands located beyond the urban
service areas which have been committed to urban
development on approved subdivision plats. Under
the plan, the agricultural lands covered by Class I
and Class II soils would encompass about 1,019
square miles, or about 38 percent of the area of the
Region, in the year 2020.
The plan recognizes that under the provisions of the
Wisconsin Statutes creating the Wisconsin Farm-
land Preservation Program, counties in the State are
responsible for the identification of prime agricul-
tural lands. The plan further recognizes that the
criteria used to identify prime agricultural lands may
differ from county to county. Counties in the Region
are encouraged to prepare and adopt updated farm-
land preservation plans which identify prime agri-
cultural lands. Such plans should seek to preserve

Class I and Class II soils insofar as practicable and

should establish the presence of Class I and Class II
soils as a key determinant in the identification of
prime agricultural land. Counties may choose to
include other classes of soils in the definition of
prime agricultural land and may incorporate other
criteria, such as the size of farm units or size of
the contiguous farming area, into the definition of
prime agricultural land. Prime agricultural lands
identified in county farmland preservation plans
should be placed in exclusive agricultural zoning
districts which specify a minimum parcel size of
35 acres.
Other lands in this category-lands which are not
identified as prime agricultural lands under county
farmland preservation plans-are recommended to
be retained in rural use. The regional plan encour-
ages the continuation of agricultural activity in
these areas, recognizing that such activity may occur
in the form of smaller farms such as horse farms,
hobby farms, or community-supported agricultural
operations. Under the plan, development in these
areas would be limited to rural-density residential
development, defined as development with no more
than one dwelling unit per five acres. Where rural-
density residential development is accommodated,
the plan encourages the use of cluster designs, with
dwelling units developed in clusters surrounded
by agricultural and other open space sufficient to
maintain the maximum recommended density of
no more than one dwelling unit per five acres.
Where treatment and disposal of wastewater from
clustered rural-density development is provided
through individual soil absorption systems or a com-
munity soil absorption system, care must be taken to
guard against ammonia nitrate or other ground-
water pollution.
PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
Successful implementation of the regional land use
plan depends upon the application of a variety of plan
implementation measures and the utmost in cooperation
among the local units of government and the areawide,
State, and Federal agencies involved in the application of
those measures. Implementation of the land use plan
should begin with formal adoption or endorsement of
the plan by the concerned units and agencies of govern-
ment. The seven county boards in the Region should
formally adopt the plan as it affects each county, after
recommendation by the respective county planning com-
mittees or park and planning commissions, as a guide to
future land use development within each county. City,

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