Residents of the city, along with city staff and elected officials put their heads together Dec. 2 to begin the process of rewriting the city's zoning code.
The project is part of a larger effort to develop a long-term plan for community development. It will include a five-day public process in February called a charrette.
Representatives from PlaceMakers, a consulting firm, led 35 attendees in a few exercises to help explore what the city needs in the future.
Jennifer Hurley said the point of the meeting was to start seeing what residents wanted to see happen and that it would be important for people to have conversations with their neighbors.
The first workshop exercise was for residents to look over a variety of images of properties in the city, as well as some in other areas. The consultants then asked participants to choose what images represent the city and why and which ones did not represent the city.
In a second exercise, participants listed cities or towns that have the kind of development they'd like to see in Fitchburg.
The final exercise had them placing three dots on their favorite and least favorite of the images they had seen earlier and matching them with a map of the city.
Presenters then brought some of the images to the front to discuss what the group liked and disliked about them. The SuperTarget on McKee Road was one example of what was disliked, as it was a big-box store with large surface parking, though it was appreciated for its conveniences and employment opportunities.
The project's leaders will keep track of it on a new Web site, fitchburgzoning.com, which will be updated on a regular basis. It includes explanations of the project's purpose, a calendar of upcoming events, blogs and other information.
The workshop was televised by FACTv and is available on the city's Web site, www.city.fitchburg.wi.us.
The next major step for the rewrite is the Charrette in Feb 8-12.
Representatives of PlaceMakers provided a comparable effort in Hawaii as an example to the city committee in charge of the zoning code rewrite. That Web site is available at honokohauvillage.com.
