La Crosse County’s proposed comprehensive plan does not explicitly forbid home construction on steep slopes as some have suggested, said county planner Charlie Handy, because the plan is amendable and just suggests a guide for development.

Although several people spoke against slope limitations at a public hearing for the comprehensive plan two weeks ago, Handy said many of the comments do not reflect the latest draft of the plan.

Originally, the plan was written to prohibit the development of any land with a grade steeper than 20 percent, Handy said. But after several people told the county board they thought the rule was excessive and would deny development of prime real estate, the plan was amended in October to read that development would be “limited” in slopes between 20 percent and 30 percent.

Handy said the comprehensive plan for every county in Wisconsin that is not in the “Driftless Zone” limits construction to slopes that are less steep than 20 percent. La Crosse County is unique in the state for having so many developments on bluffs and in coulees. But Handy noted that development of land with slopes between 20 and 30 percent offers challenges for construction, erosion and services, so the plan was written to discourage construction there.

“You’ve got to look at the cost-benefit analysis to everyone in the county,” Handy said. “Just because a few people want to have a high view looking out over the rest of us, does that mean that they should be able to?”

Handy said it’s difficult to construct roads and driveways to reach homes on the bluffside. Building away from urban centers also increases costs for garbage pickup, school bus routes, mail and other services.

At the Dec. 10 public hearing on the comprehensive plan, Steve Mader, a board member from the town of Greenfield, said he was concerned that the plan goes too far in limiting development. He said Greenfield is a fast-growing township with a lot of ongoing development near ridge tops.

“There’s not one problem with those subdivisions,” Mader said. “It’s a developer’s dream. It’s a town dream.”

The county’s comprehensive plan steering committee is scheduled to discuss possible changes to the draft at its meeting Dec. 27. The county board would then vote on an ordinance in January to adopt the plan with the final vote scheduled for February.

Even when the comprehensive plan is adopted by the county board, it is not a binding document. For one, cities and villages in the county have “home rule,” and their ordinances trump county law.

Even in the towns — where zoning changes must be approved by the county board — the comprehensive plan is still a guiding document. Handy said the plan is useful because it offers an orderly suggestion for future development which could be especially useful in towns that have a small planning staffs and regular turnover in government.

“What the comprehensive plan does is it allows us a little bit more of a conversation about whether development is appropriate or not,” Handy said.

Jason Gilman, land use and development director for the city of Onalaska, said the city’s building guidelines allow development on slopes up to 30 percent. Of the city’s future developable land, Gilman said “hundreds of acres” are located on slopes between 20 and 30 percent, including a significant amount of Greens Coulee and French Valley.

The Onalaska planning department has looked at limiting development to slopes that are less than 20 percent, but enough citizens have spoken against the additional regulations to keep the cap at 30 percent.

Contact Adam Bissen at 786-6813 or adam.bissen@lee.net.