Planning and Economic Development

The City of Chippewa Falls Comprehensive Plan is a guide for elected and appointed officials, staff, and the general public to manage and direct orderly growth and development in the Chippewa Falls area. The plan is a long-range policy document that will serve as a guideline for a wide variety of public and private sector decision making. The plan meets all of the statutory requirements for a "Master Plan" as defined by Wisconsin Statutes ss. 62.23(3).

This plan is intended to provide new guidelines for growth and development for the next twenty-year planning period. The last Comprehensive Plan for the City of Chippewa Falls was prepared and adopted in 1984.

Plans of this nature function as an "umbrella document" guiding a variety of more specific implementation measures. Unlike a municipal ordinance, the Comprehensive Plan is an advisory document and not a regulatory tool. Implementation of the plan will require its consistent use to guide decisions with respect to a wide range of public actions, including zoning and subdivision approvals, annexations, housing programs, and economic development assistance. The goals, objectives, and policies in the Comprehensive Plan are intended to be the foundation for a variety of specific programs and actions implemented by both the public and private sectors. The diagram below illustrates some of the principal means by which the plan may be implemented.

COORDINATION WITH OTHER PLANS AND REPORTS

One of the key objectives of the Comprehensive Plan is to coordinate and consolidate the findings and recommendations of a variety of studies and reports prepared by the City and other public and private agencies and organizations. Over the years, the City of Chippewa Falls has commissioned and adopted a wide range of reports, studies, and plans related to particular services, public facilities, and utilities. The findings and conclusions of these reports have been integrated into this Comprehensive Plan. Where needed, the data and findings have been updated to reflect current conditions.

2. COMMUNITY GOALS AND POLICIES

The City adopted the following goals and policies as the community "mission statement." These statements represent the broad growth and development policies upon which the City will be basing a wide variety of day-to-day decisions over the next two decades. An 18-member Steering Committee that guided the preparation of the Comprehensive Plan developed these statements. The members of the Steering Committee have included a broad range of community leaders from businesses, institutions, and City and County government.

The goals and policies are based, in part, on the results of a household survey conducted in January 1999. Survey questionnaires about community growth were distributed to a randomly selected 1,000 households in the community. The tabulated results of the survey have helped provide the Steering Committee with a broad sampling of citizen opinions about community growth. The tabulated responses to the survey are included in Appendix A of this report.

GENERAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

Goal: Promote the growth and development of the City of Chippewa Falls in a manner that accommodates new development but maintains a high quality of life, preserves the natural resources and environment, and reflects the community values that the residents currently enjoy.

Policies

Encourage the growth and development of the City in a manner that will efficiently utilize the land resource and be cost-effective to serve the developments with public utilities, including public sanitary sewer and public water supply services.
Maintain and enhance the tax-base of the City of Chippewa Falls.
Continue to promote the redevelopment and revitalization of downtown Chippewa Falls as the governmental and cultural heart of the community with an emphasis on maintaining government offices, cultural institutions, retail sales, and services in the downtown.
Attract new shopping facilities into the community so that residents of the Chippewa Falls area can do most of their shopping locally without having to travel to retail centers outside the City.
Maintain property values of existing neighborhoods within the City.
Remove or rehabilitate blighted and deteriorated structures.
Carefully plan and manage development along new highway corridors and at key interchanges in a manner that will enhance the appearance of the entrances into the community and result in long-term high value land uses.
Encourage the owners of potentially developable land to carefully master plan entire ownership parcels, rather than develop individual frontage lots in a haphazard and unplanned manner.
Continue to coordinate City development and infrastructure planning with Chippewa County and the adjoining townships.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Goal: Promote the development of a strong economy with a healthy balance of retail, service, manufacturing and institutional employment.

Policies

Focus the City's economic development activities and incentives on attracting and retaining business and institutions in the Chippewa Falls area that will most likely become an important long term asset to the community and provide ongoing well-paying permanent jobs.
Continue to work jointly with Chippewa County to develop the Chippewa County Farm Property as a master-planned, mixed-use development. The primary land use with the County Farm Property site will be an industrial and business park.
Coordinate planning and development along CTH "I" with St. Joseph's Hospital and other medical and educational institutions in order to manage traffic along the corridor and maintain compatible uses on adjoining land.
Work with the State of Wisconsin to efficiently utilize the Northern Wisconsin Center site. The intent of the City is to maintain stable institutional uses in the developed portion of the campus and to plan for the productive use of the non-developed portions of the property within the context of a carefully developed master plan.
Attract new uses for the Chippewa Mall and other vacant or underutilized buildings and parcels.
Discourage unplanned "strip commercial" development along the primary highway entrances into the community.
Promote the development of specialty retail stores and services in downtown Chippewa Falls.
Support the tourism-oriented businesses that capitalize on some of the unique natural and cultural resources of the community. In particular, support recreation and tourism-oriented businesses that will be compatible with initiatives to revitalize and beautify the Chippewa River and Duncan Creek corridors and the downtown riverfront.

HOUSING AND RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

Goal: Promote the City's high quality residential neighborhoods as offering both existing and potential residents safe, attractive and stable housing that meets the community's overall housing demand in addition to reducing development in areas without sewer and water infrastructure.

Policies

Preserve the character and property values of existing residential neighborhoods.
Provide an inventory of residential building sites that will provide both homebuyers and renters with a broad range of choices with respect to both housing types and affordability.
Promote the construction of affordable single family and multifamily housing units that are priced at levels consistent with prevailing household incomes in the region.
Provide sites and encourage new developments that will offer higher-value "estate home" lots within the City of Chippewa Falls.
Promote residential development patterns that will foster a sense of identity and pride in residential neighborhoods.
Avoid creating new districts that cluster a large number of multifamily apartments within a single area or neighborhood. A preferred form of development is to have multifamily housing distributed throughout the community and integrated into the planning and design of newly developing residential areas.
Promote the development of apartment buildings and condominiums in the downtown area, particularly on redevelopment sites along the Chippewa River and Duncan Creek.

STREETS AND CIRCULATION SYSTEM

Goal: Provide safe and efficient transportation for all members of the community.

Policies

Reserve sufficient public rights-of-way for the extension of streets into newly developing areas.
Maintain or improve the condition of existing streets and highways in the City.
Coordinate the construction, improvement, and maintenance of both existing and new streets with Chippewa County and the adjoining towns.
Maintain Business Highway designation for STH 124 and 178 through the downtown business district.
Extend Westwood Drive to River Street (Business Highway 29) as the primary west side arterial street. Develop an additional west side arterial street linking Hwy 29 and/or Hwy 53 to the west side schools and residential neighborhoods.
Maintain the efficiency of Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard (East Bridge Corridor) as a higher-speed arterial bypass road.
Minimize the number of driveway access points on major arterial and collector streets. Where feasible encourage interior circulation drives.
Require developers and subdividers to provide efficient through streets and rights-of-way that will enable the future extension of streets to adjoining properties as they are developed.
Require subdividers to design and construct sidewalks or alternative pedestrianways in new developments.
Maintain the City's public transit program.
Explore the feasibility of an intercity public transit system with the City of Eau Claire.
Support improved regional passenger and freight rail service and commercial and general aviation services.

PUBLIC UTILITIES

Goal: Provide cost-effective and efficient public utilities to residents, businesses and institutions in the City of Chippewa Falls.

Policies

Plan and design the City's sanitary sewer and public water system provided for in the Chippewa Falls Sewer Service Area Plan and the Water Distribution System Computer Flow Analysis to provide sufficient capacity to attract and serve projected growth within the designated sewer service area.
The City shall maintain the policy of not extending municipal sanitary sewer or water services to areas outside the City limits. If property owners contiguous to the City request such services, the owners may petition the City for annexation as provided for by State Statute.
Provide for municipal utility expansions in a planned, staged, and orderly manner to maximize limited community resources and provide for an efficient pattern of development.
New development proposals and annexation requests shall be evaluated on the basis of their impact on service needs and levels elsewhere in the City and on their cost-effectiveness.
Establish storm water management plans and policies and encourage the use of natural surface water storage and retention or detention systems to control storm water runoff.
Explore opportunities to better integrate the water supply system for the Northern Wisconsin Center into the City of Chippewa Falls water utility system.

PARKS, OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION FACILITIES

Goal: Provide adequate park, open space, and recreation facilities for both residents and visitors to the Chippewa Falls area.

Policies

Provide adequate neighborhood parks and other recreation facilities within safe walking distance of each residential neighborhood. As a guideline, the maximum walking distance to a neighborhood park for small children is one-quarter to one-half mile.
Larger community-scale parks with athletic fields and ball diamonds should be located no more than one to two miles from each residential neighborhood.
Safe pedestrian access should be provided between residential neighborhoods and each public park and school in the community.
New residential developments should provide either park land or a fee-in-lieu-of-Iand based on the requirements of the City's land Division Ordinance.
Utilize drainageways, floodplains, and other natural areas as "greenway" spaces and corridors through the City that are linked by a series of trails and pathways.
Develop the riverfront in downtown Chippewa Falls as a major community "gateway park" in which festivals and community events will occur. This is a natural gateway into the community.
Develop a continuous trail and parkway system along Duncan Creek linking the Chippewa River "gateway park" with the Leinenkugel Brewery and Irvine Park.

3. POPULATION GROWTH

POPULATION GROWTH TRENDS

Population Growth 1970 to 1998

The City of Chippewa Falls has maintained a relatively stable population over the past 30 years ranging from 12,352 in 1970 to an estimated population of 13,098 in 1998. During the late 1970's and early 1980's the population of Chippewa Falls, along with many of the other communities in the region, declined slightly due to general economic conditions. In the later 1980's and early 1990's the economy of the area stabilized and the population of the area increased slightly. Since the early 1990's the rate of population growth has increased significantly.

There are many indications that the Chippewa Falls area will continue to experience relatively steady population growth over the next two decades. The general economy of the Eau Claire - Chippewa Falls MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) has remained strong, and the City of Chippewa Falls has a diversified group of industrial and institutional employers. Recent improvements to the regional highway system have created a transportation infrastructure which will continue to make Chippewa Falls a good location for a wide variety of manufacturers and distribution facilities.

Population Projections 1998 to 2015

The "Official Projections" published in 1993 by the Wisconsin Department of Administration, Demographic Services Center indicate that the population of the City of Chippewa Falls is projected to remain relatively stable over the next 20 years, increasing from the current estimate of 13,098 to only 13,199. During the same period, the population of Chippewa County is projected to increase from 54,761 to 55,103. These projections are based on a mathematical extrapolation from population trends experienced during the period from 1970 to 1990.

Adjusted population projections based on average annual growth rates experienced by the City of Chippewa Falls and surrounding towns since 1990 indicate that population growth may be slightly higher. Based on recent rates, the population of the City of Chippewa Falls is projected to increase to 13,883 and Chippewa County is projected to increase to 60,357 by the year 2015.

MEDIAN AGE AND AGE DISTRIBUTION

The median age in the City of Chippewa Falls as of the last U.S. Census in 1990 was 34.2, compared to a median age of 32.9 years in the State of Wisconsin.

The City of Chippewa Falls has a significantly higher percentage of its population in the over 65 age cohort than the State of Wisconsin average. The relatively high percentage of elderly in Chippewa Falls is likely to create more demand for housing projects that are designed for an aging population.

Conversely, the City has a lower percentage of school age and younger to middle aged adult population than the State average.

4. HOUSING ANALYSIS EXISTING HOUSING UNITS

In 1990, there were 5,338 housing units in the City of Chippewa Falls. Of the total housing units, 59.5 percent were single family units and 40.5 percent were multifamily. The following table also includes the housing types and the percentages of single family and multifamily housing in the City of Chippewa Falls and adjoining towns.

Between January 1991 and January 1998, total new residential construction in the City of Chippewa Falls has added 145 single family units, 35 duplex units, and 228 multifamily units. Average annual new residential construction since 1990 has been 21 single family units, 5 duplex units, and 33 multifamily units per year.

Distribution of Multifamily Housing

Multifamily housing is distributed in a number of neighborhoods and districts throughout the City. The key areas with either major projects or clusters of multifamily buildings include:

"The Flats"

The largest concentration of multifamily housing in the City is the area referred to as "The Flats." This area is located on the east side of the City north of the river. "The Flats" was originally designed and platted as a mixed single family and multifamily housing area, but over the years the area has developed as a predominantly multifamily district.

The largest apartment project in "The Flats" is Pumphouse Apartments, owned and managed by Augusta Homes. There are numerous other 2-, 4-, and 8-unit buildings, including several condominium projects.

While "The Flats" has provided an important function in the community of providing both short-term and affordable housing, the City has been concerned about the concentration of large numbers of renters and transient residents in a single district within the City. The City has adopted policies to support more dispersed multifamily housing and to discourage large, concentrated multifamily districts.

West Hill Area

The West Hill Area has numerous 2-, 4-, and 8-unit apartment buildings intermingled with single family homes. The majority of the units in this area are in either owner-occupied buildings or in locally-owned and managed buildings. The general condition of multifamily housing in the West Hill area is good to excellent. Few of the units in West Hill are subsidized or participate in the Section 8 program.

Bridgewater Street Area

The Bridgewater Street area includes a range of 2-, 4-, 8- and 16-unit buildings located on the northwest side of the City. Occupants include a combination of seniors, families, and individuals. Most of the units are "market rate," although there are some Section 8 units in the area.

Pearl Street (Old St. Joseph's Hospital)

The former St. Joseph's Hospital has been rehabilitated into apartments occupied primarily by a mixed population of seniors, handicapped, and families. The project is handicapped-accessible and has been a particularly good housing site for this group. Some of the renters participate in the Section 8 program administered by the Chippewa County Housing Authority.

Chippewa Manor Retirement Center

Chippewa Manor Retirement Center is a predominantly senior housing project located on Irvine Street on the south side of the City. The project houses predominantly senior residents. The project was built with bonds issued by the Chippewa County Housing Authority and there are requirements to provide units for low and moderate income households.

Barrington Apartments

The Barrington Apartments and a number of other 2-,4-, and 8- units apartment buildings are located on the southeast side of the City in the vicinity of Halmstad School. The majority of these units are "market rate" rentals. There are some units in the Section 8 program.

Shoe Factory Apartments

The 32-unit Shoe Factory Apartment project is a major downtown retrofit of a former industrial building. Tenants include a mixture of seniors, families, and individuals. The project was financed with assistance from the City Historic Tax Credit and is eligible for low-income tax credits. There are units for low-and moderate-income households.

Other Downtown Multifamily Housing

There are numerous apartment buildings, second and third level apartments above commercial storefronts, and older homes that have been divided into rental apartment units in the downtown area. The occupancy of these units is a combination of seniors, families, and individuals.

HOUSING DEMAND

Projected Number of New Housing Units and Land Demand

Based on recent rates of housing construction there is an average annual demand for 21 new single family units, 5 duplex units and 33 new multifamily units.

Over the next 20 years, the City of Chippewa Falls should plan for approximately 420 new single family units, 100 duplex units, and 666 new multifamily units.

Based on an average gross density of 2.5 dwelling units per acre, the City should plan for approximately 168 additional acres platted for single family development. Based on average gross density of 8.0 dwelling units per acre for multifamily development, the City should plan for 83.3 acres of additional land for multifamily development.

Projected 20-year Demand for Residential Units and land

Average Annual Demand 20-Year 20-Year

Housing Type Dwelling Units Dwelling Unit Land Demand (Acres)

Single Family 21 DU's 420 DU's 168 Acres

Multifamily 33 DU's 666 DU's 83.3 Acres

SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL EXPANSION AREAS

The primary areas where new single family housing is expected to be developed over the next 20 years include the former Chippewa County Farm property, the northwest quadrant of the City, and the southeast quadrant of the City.

The former Chippewa County Farm property is planned to have approximately 250 acres developed for residential uses. Residential development on the Chippewa County Farm property is expected to begin within the next several years because of the commitment of both the County and City to develop the infrastructure for Lake Wissota Business Park in 2000 and 2001. This will enable residential development to occur in the following years. Most of residential development on the Chippewa County Farm property will be single family housing, which will blend well with the single family development to the east along Lake Wissota.

The northwest quadrant of the City includes the area north of Elm Street and west of Wheaton Street. There are approximately 300 acres of land in this area that are potentially suitable for residential development. However, prior to development of most of this area, the Westwood Trunk Sewer Line will have to be extended north. Utility extensions will require right-of-way acquisition and/or easements. Much of the area will also have to be annexed to the City prior to extending utilities. Another issue that may affect the timing of residential development in this area is that much of the land is in a Tree Farm Program that could delay development in the near future.

There are also areas suitable for residential development on the City's southeast quadrant near the Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard/STH 29 interchange. Much of this area is owned by the State of Wisconsin and is part of the Northern Wisconsin Center property. A significant amount of infrastructure work will be necessary for development to occur. Planned infrastructure in this area includes frontage streets off of Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard, water and sewer utilities, and an elevated water tank. Because of the proximity of the STH 29-interchange, market pressures will exist for development of commercial property in this area. However, it is likely that development will not occur within the next five to six years.

Another area suitable for future single family residential expansion includes an area north of First Avenue between State Street (STH 124) and the railroad corridor. Almost all of this area would have to be annexed to the City prior to development. This area is not expected to be developed within the next 10 years.

Future single family residential development could also occur in the southwest quadrant of the City in the vicinity of Casper Park. However, further development in the southwest quadrant would require extending a major trunk sewer line. The City does not encourage development on private septic systems.

MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL EXPANSION AREAS

The City's policy is to encourage the distribution of new multifamily housing on sites throughout the City. The City favors the integration of smaller multifamily projects within newly developing residential areas. The City hopes to avoid future large concentrations of multifamily apartment projects.

Areas with sites potentially suitable for multifamily housing include the areas within the northwest quadrant of the City north of Bridgewater Street, portions of the former Chippewa County Farm property, and newly developing neighborhoods south and east of the Northern Wisconsin Center.

Developers and landowners who are preparing initial development plans for larger parcels are encouraged to consider providing areas for both single family and multifamily housing. When such development plans are prepared in advance of the development, buyers of single family homes can be aware of the proposed location of the multifamily components of the development, prior to purchasing homes or lots.

Opposition to multifamily projects has tended to occur in neighborhoods where multifamily housing is proposed in predominantly single family neighborhoods. In these situations, most of the residents have purchased their single family homes with the expectation that the area will remain a single family district. This type of opposition can generally be avoided where the homebuyers have advance notice of the fact that the neighborhood is planned for mixed housing types.

While opportunities for infill housing exist in various parts of the City, the character and property values of existing single family neighborhoods need to be protected.

GUIDELINES FOR NEW MULTIFAMILY HOUSING

The following are general guidelines for locating future multifamily developments in the City:

1. Multifamily housing should be located on or near collector streets with sufficient capacity to handle the traffic generated by such projects.

2. Sidewalks or alternative pedestrian pathways should be provided to and from multifamily residential development sites.

3. Multifamily development districts should not exceed five contiguous acres, except for PUD's or senior residential communities.

4. Apartment buildings that exceed 24 units should be located only on major collector streets or arterials. Preferred building sizes are 4- and 8-unit. Projects limited to senior occupancy and redevelopment projects in the downtown area should be exempt from these guidelines.

5. Except in the downtown area or other redevelopment sites, at least 30 percent of multifamily sites should be maintained as lawn or other non impervious surface.

6. Multifamily housing sites should be well-landscaped with buffer or screening vegetation between multifamily projects and single family homes and with buffers or screens from nearby commercial land uses. Parking areas for multifamily projects should have at least one canopy tree with at least 2-lfjnch caliper at planting time for each 12 stalls of parking.

5. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS CURRENT EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC BASE

The Chippewa Falls area has a diverse economy that includes strong manufacturing, services, retail trade, and government sectors.

The Chippewa Falls area is unique among communities its size because of the high concentration of high technology industries. Of the 21,290 jobs in Chippewa County, approximately one-third are in manufacturing. The leading industrial group in the City is the manufacturing of computers and computer-related equipment. Honeywell Advanced Circuits is the area's leading employer with 1,600 employees. Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI) is the area's second largest employer with 900 employees.

Other leading manufacturing employers in Chippewa Falls include Mason Shoe Mfg. Co., Pactiv Corporation, Celestica, Extrusion Dies, Inc., and Huntsman Packaging.

The leading public sector and service employers are Chippewa Public School District, Northern Wisconsin Center, Saint Joseph's Hospital, and Chippewa County.

Chippewa County Employment by Industry

Industry Employment

Manufacturing 7,000

Services 4,100

Government 4,000

Retail Trade 3,300

Construction and Mining 1,010

Wholesale Trade 780

Trans., Comm., & Utilities 690

Finance, Insurance & Real Estate 410

Total Employment 21,290

Source: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Chippewa County Workforce Profile, September 1997.

Major Employers in the City of Chippewa Falls

Company Product or Service Size

Honeywell Advanced Circuits Computer components 1,600

Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI) Computer components 900

Mason Shoe Mfg. Co. Leather products: men's footwear 750

Chippewa Falls Public School Education 617

Northern Wisconsin Center Health care services: nursing facility 600

Saint Josephs Hospital Health care services: hospital 600

Chippewa County General government 459

Pactiv Corporation Foam products 287

Celestica Circuit boards 250

Extrusion Dies, Inc. Plastic extrusion dies 211

Huntsman Packaging Plastic extrusion dies 175

City of Chippewa Falls General government 155

Source: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Chippewa County Workforce

Profile, September, 1997. (Updated 1999)

Chippewa County Employment and Wages

Annual Percent of Percent Change Number of

Average Wage State Average 1 Year 5 Year Workers

AI/Industries $22,080 88.0% 3.3% 18.2% 20,499

Agriculture, forestry & fishing $16,785 90.6% 7.2% 9.1% 186

Construction $29,794 98.1 % 2.8% 25.6% 962

Manufacturing $30,292 93.8% 5.8% 23.1 % 6,747

Trans., Communications & Utilities $20,469 69.9% -1.0% 17.9% 686

Wholesale Trade $20,114 63.9% 2.7% 2.8% 797

Retail Trade $10,922 87.6% 2.0% 15.7% 3,858

Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate $20,005 66.6% 5.2% 19.8% 388

Services $15,899 73.7% 2.8% 19.9% 3,430

Government $23,784 83.0% 3.4% 17.5% 3,446

Source: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Chippewa County Workforce

Profile, and September 1997.

Chippewa County is a net "importer" of employees from surrounding counties. The largest number of employees come from Eau Claire County, but Chippewa County also draws significant numbers of employees from Barron, Clark, Dunn, and Rusk Counties.

Chippewa County Commuting Patterns, 1994

To Chippewa County From Chippewa County Commute

Barron County 253 135 (-118)

Clark County 182 280 (98)

Dunn County 343 320 (-23)

Eau Claire County 4,198 3,772 (-426)

Rusk County 224 129 (-95)

Elsewhere 1,024 357 (-667)

Total 6,000 4,864 -1,136

Commute within County 17,609

Source: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Chippewa County Workforce Profile, and September 1997.

REGIONAL ECONOMIC GROWTH TRENDS

Maxwell Research Inc., economic development consultants to Chippewa County, have recently examined the regional economic trends for the Eau Claire-Chippewa Falls Metropolitan Statistic Area (MSA). The study has been undertaken to determine market feasibility and to establish platting recommendations for the development of portions of the Chippewa County Farm property as the lake Wissota Business Park.

Between 1999 and 2005 the Eau Claire - Chippewa Falls MSA employment base is forecasted to increase from 72,860 to 87,240 employees, representing 14,380 new jobs, an increase of 20 percent. Approximately one-quarter of the new jobs are expected to be in Chippewa County, with the majority of these in Chippewa Falls. Net employment in Chippewa County is projected to increase by 3,600 jobs. Of the new jobs projected in Chippewa County through the year 2005, approximately 1,400 will be in the service sector and 1,020 in the manufacturing and distribution sectors.

EXISTING INDUSTRIAL PARKS

There are two existing industrial parks in Chippewa Falls: the Seymour Cray Jr. Industrial Park and Riverside Industrial Park. The other major industrial site in the community is the Pactiv Corporation Plant on West River Street.

Seymour Cray Sr. Industrial Park (formerly Northside Industrial Park)

Chippewa Falls' first industrial park was the Northside Industrial Park, which was renamed to Seymour Cray Sr. Industrial Park. This park consists of 160 acres. The park is located on the northeast side of the City. The Seymour Cray Sr. Industrial Park is fully developed and there is no remaining acreage available.

The majority of the firms in the Seymour Cray Sr. Industrial Park are small- to medium-sized firms. The largest employer in the park is Mason Shoe. Other businesses in the park include Advanced Weighing Systems, Chippewa Brass and Aluminum Foundry, Extrusion Dies, Falls Bait Co., Hubbard Scientific, Huntsman Packaging, ITW Deltar, Indianhead Plating, Kell Container, Pacer Industries, Rooney Printing, Ross Mallet Instruments, Spectrum Industries, Inc., Tschopp Durch Camastral, Watton Pattern Works, Wisconsin Metal Fab, W.S. Darley and Co. Several of the firms in the Seymour Cray Sr. Industrial Park are looking to expand in the community.

Riverside Industrial Park

Chippewa Falls' second industrial park is Riverside Industrial Park, which is 360 acres in size. Riverside Industrial Park is located south of the Chippewa River east of the downtown area. Approximately 70 acres are still available for development.

Riverside Industrial Park was originally developed primarily to serve Cray Research Inc. Currently the largest employers in the park are Honeywell Advanced Circuits and Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI). Warehousing of Wisconsin recently constructed a 525,000 square foot multi-purpose facility, with capacity to expand to 1,000,000 square feet, in Riverside Industrial Park. Other businesses in the Riverside Industrial Park include Coulson Precision Tooling, Advanced Laser Machining, Allied Dies, Riverside Machine and Engineering, SAS Technologies, and Gold N' Plump Poultry.

DEMAND FOR LAND FOR INDUSTRIAL AND OFFICE DEVELOPMENT

The market studies conducted for the former Chippewa County Farm Property indicate that there will be sufficient market demand to support development of 270 acres of the Chippewa County Farm Property as the Lake Wissota Business Park - 173 acres for industrial uses and 64 acres for office use, plus 15 to 20 percent of the gross land area for street rights-of-way, and storm water management. The absorption period for the development is expected to be 12 to 13 years, with an annual consumption of 20 acres. This absorption rate assumes no other major competing industrial or office park sites in the City of Chippewa Falls. Chippewa County is in the process of platting the portion of the property designated for industrial, and office use. The formal name for the new development is Lake Wissota Business Park.

The assumption of the Land Use Plan is that the remaining property in Riverside Industrial Park and the new Lake Wissota Business Park will meet the industrial land needs of the City for the next 15 to 20 years. However, it is strongly recommended that the City periodically evaluate the industrial land market to determine if an additional City-owned industrial or business park is needed to meet market demand. Monitoring the need for a third City owned industrial park may be necessary because of the small inventory of industrial land remaining in Riverside Industrial Park and the potential impact of the City Wellhead Protection Ordinance that overlays the Lake Wissota Business Park. If the development potential of the Lake Wissota Business Park is limited by either the Wellhead Protection Ordinance or by the deed restrictions and protective covenants that apply to Lake Wissota Business Park, additional industrial or business park sites in the City may be needed.

6. PUBLIC FACILITIES ANALYSIS

MUNICIPAL FACILITIES

Law Enforcement Facilities

The Police Department serves the City with 26 full-time police officers and 10 civilian employees. The Department maintains a 24-hour Emergency Communications Center, which includes Enhanced 911 capabilities for Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services. Embracing Community Policing philosophies of problem solving and community engagement, the Police Department is an active partner with citizens, education institutions, and the social service agencies in the community. The Police Department will seek to add staff in the near future to meet the demands of a growing community. The Department is housed in a 17,000 square foot facility that is 9 years old. The modern and functional building should be adequate to meet the needs of the Police Department for the duration of the 20-year planning period.

Fire and Emergency Services Department

The Fire and Emergency Services Department has 27 full-time staff members. It provides emergency services out of two fire stations. The administration offices are located at the main station at 211 Bay Street, and a south side station is located at 35 East Park Avenue. The Department has a Class III ISO fire insurance rating.

Included within the services that the Department provides are the following:

Advanced life support medical care at the enhanced intermediate level

Full-time fire prevention bureau

Light and heavy vehicle extrication rescue services

Water and ice rescue

Confined entry rescue

Public and industrial fire education services

Level B hazardous materials response for Chippewa County

As copartner of the West Central Wisconsin Regional Response Team, the City's Fire and Emergency Services Department provides level A hazardous materials response to 14 counties in northwestern, Wisconsin.

Sanitary Sewer System

The City's sanitary sewer service system includes the wastewater treatment plant, 12 pumping stations, and the collection system. The City's sewer system serves all of the developed areas in the City of Chippewa Falls and portions of the former Chippewa County Nursing Home and Farm site, which remain outside the City. The City's wastewater treatment plant treats sewage from Northern Wisconsin Center, which is in the City but maintains its own collection system. The utility has 10 full-time employees.

The City's wastewater treatment plant is located at 1125 West River Street southwest of the downtown area. The plant was constructed in 1950 and has been upgraded several times since construction. A $5,000,000 expansion was completed in 1997. The expansion upgraded the removal systems to include a biological phosphorous component, additional bio-solid handling capabilities, and automated facilities. A $1,000,000 improvement was completed in 1999 to replace a digester cover and provide additional sludge heating and mixing equipment.

An effluent diffuser was constructed at the City's Wastewater Treatment Plant in Spring 1999. The effluent diffuser will provide for a larger zone of initial dilution thereby significantly reducing the concentration of copper in the effluent. The immediate advantage upon completion is that the City's copper discharge permit will be modified allowing for an increase of copper discharge at the plant from the current 34 parts per billion to 160 parts per billion. This will provide capacity for expansion of existing industries and new industries.

The treatment plant has a design capacity of 5.6 million gallons per day and is currently operating at 60% capacity with approximately 2.2 million gallons per day.

Collection facilities include 12 pumping stations. The most recent pumping station was added in 1999 as part of the improvements to serve the former Chippewa County Farm property.

Future improvements needed to serve new development areas shown on the Land Use Plan include:

1. Completion of collection system improvements to serve Lake Wissota Business Park and the proposed residential development area to the east.

2. Extension of an interceptor and other collection system improvements to serve the Highway 29/East Bridge Corridor interchange area south of the Northern Wisconsin Center.

3. Extension of gravity-flow collection lines to serve planned residential expansion areas north of Elm Street and west of Wheaton Street.

4. Long-range expansion of gravity-flow collection lines to serve both residential and industrial expansion areas north of 1st. Avenue between Jefferson Avenue (STH 124) and STH 178.

Ultimately collection systems will be extended to areas that are currently not within the City limits to serve both existing and new development. The policy of the City has been not to extend the City's sanitary sewers or public water supply to areas outside the corporate limits of the City. The City will consider annexation petitions of properties within the City's established Sewer Service Area that maintain consistency with the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Any service to these areas shall be contingent on annexation. The City's sanitary sewer and public water systems have been planned, designed, and constructed with capacity to serve the entire planned sewer service area. Therefore, the City anticipates that through the normal process of annexations, as provided for by Wisconsin Statutes, the area included within the City's Sewer Service Plan will eventually be a part of the City of Chippewa Falls.

Public Water Supply System

The City's water supply utility facilities include two well fields, three elevated storage facilities, a nitrate removal facility at the East Well Field, and distribution lines. The City's water system serves all of the developed areas in the City of Chippewa Falls and portions of the former Chippewa County Nursing Home and Farm site, which remain outside the City. The City provides water to the Northern Wisconsin Center, which operates its own water system on a separate pressure level. The Northern Wisconsin Center system includes elevated storage, a booster station, and distribution lines. The utility has a staff of nine full-time employees managing and operating the utility system.

The West Well Field is located on Tilton Road. There are two production wells, one located on each side of Tilton Road. Water from the wells is delivered through 16" and 20" transmission mains. One main runs east along Nelson Road to the South Hill elevated tank. The 20" main runs north across the Chippewa River to the West Hill elevated tank. The wells in the West Well Field area have a capacity of 2 million gallons per day.

The East Well Field is located on Pumphouse Road in an area known as "Big Eddy Springs." There are six production wells. The water from the East Well Field is delivered to the system through three 16" transmission mains. One transmission main runs to the north and delivers water to the East Hill elevated tank on Kennedy Road. The second runs west into the downtown area along River Street. The third transmission line crosses the Chippewa River and runs into the Riverside Industrial Park. The wells in the East Well Field area have a capacity of 4 million gallons per day. The East Well Field also includes a nitrate removal system.

All of the City's water wells have treatment systems that add sodium hydroxide to the water to increase the pH and reduce corrosion.

There are three elevated tanks in the City. The South Chippewa Street tank holds 500,000 gallons of water; the Westhaven Road tank holds 750,000 gallons of water; and the Kennedy Road tank holds 1,000,000 gallons of water.

A new booster station and elevated tank are proposed in the new TIF District south of Park Avenue to serve the area along Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard and to better integrate the City's and Northern Wisconsin Center's water systems, which operate at separate pressure levels.

Other future improvements needed to serve new development areas shown on the Land Use Plan include:

1. Completion of distribution system improvements to serve the lake Wissota Business Park and planned residential area on the former Chippewa County Farm property.

2. Extension of water mains, booster station, and elevated storage tank to serve the Highway 29/Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard interchange area south of the Northern Wisconsin Center.

3. Extension of distribution lines to serve planned residential expansion areas north of Elm Street and west of Wheaton Street.

4. Long-range expansion of the distribution system to serve both residential and industrial expansion areas north of 1 5t Avenue between Jefferson Avenue (STH 124) and STH 178.

5. Possible development of an additional production and/or backup well at the West Well Field.

Public Library

The City of Chippewa Falls Public Library is located downtown at 105 W. Central Street. The facility is 18,000 square feet and includes two meeting rooms in addition to the collection space. The structure was built in 1968.

The Public Library serves approximately 30,000 citizens in both the City and surrounding communities. There are 15,794 current library cardholders. The Library's collection includes 89,018 books, 45,010 CD's, books on tape, 1,487 videos, 765 pamphlets, and 219 newspapers. The Library's facilities include 7 computers.

In 1999, the City initiated a study to assess the current services provided and determine whether to expand the existing building to better meet the needs of the citizens in the area.

City Hall

City Hall is located at 30 W. Central Street. The municipal offices housed at City Hall include the office of the Mayor, assessor, comptroller, building inspector, engineering, city clerk, planning, transit network, treasurer, and the administrative offices of the Fire Department and Public Utilities.

The building was designed in the mid-1930's. However, it was not constructed until the 1950's. Numerous interior renovations have been made to update the facility. Due to the age of the facility, there will be a continuing need for periodic renovations and interior modifications to meet various department needs. There are no plans for exterior expansions or relocation.

Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry & Technology

The Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry & Technology is located at 21 E. Grand Avenue. The museum includes a collection of materials and displays on the industries that have historically been located in the City. Industries featured in the museum include lumbering, brewing, shoemaking, machining, food processing, plastics manufacturing, packaging, electronics, and computer-related industry. The largest exhibit is the Seymour Cray Supercomputer Collection.

The current site of the museum at 21 E. Grand Avenue is proposed for redevelopment. The redevelopment site is referred to as the Cobban Block. The City and Museum Board of Directors hope to relocate the museum to a permanent site. One of the key sites the City is considering is the Woolen Mill site at the corner of Elm Street and Jefferson Avenue. The site adjoins Duncan Creek and the Leinenkugel Brewery.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The City of Chippewa Falls is served by the Chippewa Falls Public School District. Of the six elementary schools in the district, four are located in the City of Chippewa Falls, one is in the Town of Lafayette, and one is in the Village of Jim Falls. The Middle School and the Senior High School are located in the City and serve the entire school district.

All of the elementary schools in the district serve grades K-5. Enrollments at the four elementary schools in the City vary. Halmstad Elementary School, located at 565 E. South

Avenue, had a 1998 enrollment of 341. Hillcrest Elementary School is located at 1200 Miles Street and has an enrollment of 346, and Southview Elementary School, located at 615 A Street, has an enrollment of 261. The newest school, Parkview Elementary School, is located at 501 Jefferson Avenue and has an enrollment of 570 students.

Stillson Elementary School, located at 17250 CTH J in the Town of Lafayette, has an enrollment of 324 students. Jim Falls Elementary, located at 13643 198'h Street in the Village of Jim Falls, has an enrollment of 119 students.

The Chippewa Falls Middle School, located on Tropicana Boulevard, serves grades 6-8 for the entire school district and has an enrollment of 1,053.

The Senior High School serves grades 9-12 for the entire school district. The school is located at 735 Terrill Street and has an enrollment of 1,382. Two years ago voters approved a referendum authorizing the School District to spend 15.5 mill ion dollars on school improvements, which included updated technology, maintenance of equipment, and. a Senior High School addition.

The School District operates an Early Childhood Center in the City of Chippewa Falls. The Center serves children with learning disabilities. The School Districts Education Technology Center is also located in the Early Childhood Center.

The School District is able to serve the current and projected school age population with the current number and distribution of schools, although there may need to be periodic adjustments in the school attendance boundaries to balance attendance between the schools. One of the areas where there may need to be an adjustment in attendance boundaries is at Parkview Elementary School which was built in 1996. Parkview Elementary School has a design capacity of 600 students and a current enrollment of 570 students.

In terms of long-range planning, the School District should consider reserving land in or near the east side of the Chippewa County Farm property for a future elementary school site. Depending on the rate of development of the Chippewa County Farm property, there could be a significant increase in the school-age population in this part of the School District.

Chippewa Falls Public School District 1998 Enrollments

School Fall 1998 Enrollments

Halmstad Elementary 341

Hillcrest Elementary 346

Jim Falls Elementary 119

Parkview Elementary 570

Southview Elementary 261

Chippewa Falls Middle School 1,053

Chippewa Falls Senior High School 1,382

Stillson Elementary 324

Source: Chippewa Falls Public School District, 1998.

Parochial Schools

There are four parochial schools in the City of Chippewa Falls including: St. Charles Elementary School, Holy Ghost Elementary School, Notre Dame Middle School, and McDonell High School.

OTHER PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC FACILITIES

Chippewa County Courthouse

The Chippewa County Courthouse is located at 711 North Bridge Street. The offices include the County Auditor, District Attorney, County Clerk, County Courts, County Jail, Land Conservation, Land Records and Surveying, County Treasurer, University of Wisconsin Extension Office, Department of Aging, Department of Public Health, and other similar county offices.

The County is likely to need an expanded area for parking and potential building expansion on the block bounded by Cedar, High, Elm and Bridge Streets.

U.S. Post Office

The Chippewa Falls Post Office is located at 315 North Bridge Street. The Chippewa Falls Post Office serves the City of Chippewa Falls and the surrounding towns. The delivery area has a population of approximately 48,000 to 50,000 people.

The 23,000 square foot building includes retail lobby space and mailroom facilities. A larger retail lobby space and more vehicle parking spaces for the mail trucks are the only potential expansions for the Post Office in the next few years. These improvements would occur at the current site.

Calvary/Hope Cemetery

Calvary/Hope Cemetery is located at 418 State Street. There are three separate but adjacent parcels containing approximately 35-40 acres. No expansions are anticipated.

Forest Hill Cemetery

Forest H ill Cemetery consists of 34 acres located at 417 North State Street. Over the last 10 years, the Cemetery sold an average of 85 plots per year. There are 829 adult plots and 23 child plots available for sale. Considering the large number of plots available compared to the average rate of plot sales over the last 10 years, the Cemetery does not anticipate needing to acquire additional land in the near future.

St. Joseph's Hospital

St. Joseph's Hospital is located at 2661 CTH Ion the northeast side of Chippewa Falls. The facility has 201 ,500 total square feet with 119 licensed beds. The site is approximately 73 acres.

St. Joseph's Hospital has 625 full-time employees, including 100 physicians, on their medical staff. The hospital has a 24-hour emergency center with physicians on-site at all times.

The hospital provides a home health care service for an eleven-county area and has an extensive drug and alcohol treatment program with centers throughout the State of Wisconsin. St. Joseph's Hospital also provides training for emergency medical technicians. They have an on-site sleep lab for sleep disorders, day surgery facilities, ambulatory care, and an extensive rehabilitation therapy facility. The hospital recently started a mobile health clinic that travels throughout the service area and provides immunizations and various other health services. A Veterans Administration Clinic is also located on the hospital campus grounds.

The hospital has been conducting a space study to determine whether to expand or renovate the current facilities. Among the highest priority of improvements is the provision of an enlarged outpatient care area that is more easily accessed by the patients. The study will also examine the internal circulation pattern and parking within the campus. The physical renovations are proposed to be completed within the next three years.

In addition to an analysis of existing facilities, the space study will also consider alternative uses for undeveloped portions of the St. Joseph Hospital property. There is sufficient land area south of the main part of the campus for the hospital to consider a residential facility or other medical campus-related use.

A key concern of the hospital is maintaining efficient and safe traffic movement on CTH I. With the development of the former Chippewa County Farm Property, the traffic volume on CTH I is expected to increase dramatically. The County, City and St. Joseph's need to coordinate planning to assure that entrances into the St. Joseph Hospital campus and turning movements are safe and efficient.

A second concern of the hospital is that land uses on the north side of CTH "I" are compatible with the medically related uses on the campus and adjoining properties. The current plans for the former Chippewa County Farm property call for locating office uses on the portion of the Lake Wissota Business Park across CTH I from the hospital site.

7. PARKS AND OPEN SPACE ANALYSIS

EXISTING PARK AND OUTDOOR RECREATION FACILITIES

City Park System

The City of Chippewa Falls park system consists of 414.1 acres of City-owned parks and open space distributed throughout the City.

Summary of City Parks and Recreation Facilities by Park Type, Park Name, and Acres

Regional and Community Parks

Regional Park William Irvine Park and Zoo 265.0
Community Park Mary E. Marshall Park 8.0
Community Park John E. Murphy Field 3.0
Athletic Complex (New) William and Gertrude Casper Recreational Park 48.0

Neighborhood Parks and Playgrounds

Neighborhood Park Henry Adams Park 5.0
Neighborhood Park Hiram S. Allen Park 1.6
Neighborhood Park Simon Lyberg Park 0.3
Neighborhood Park Ball and Knight Park 0.3
Neighborhood Park L.c. Stanley Park 0.3
Neighborhood Park Alexander Wiley Park 1.5
Neighborhood Park Frenchtown Park 4.0
Neighborhood Playground James Buchanan Memorial Park 1.2
Neighborhood Playground Alexander McBean Park 0.4
Neighborhood Playground Thaddeus Pound Park 4.0

Special Use Facilities

Special Use-Nature Area Kalk-Fatu Woodland Park 58.0
Special Use-Wildlife Refuge Goldsmith Wildlife Refuge 1.5
Special Use-Natural Area Hurd Picnic Place Park 2.0
Special Use-Conservancy Industrial Park Conservancy Area NA
Special Use-River Corridor Chippewa River Corridor NA

Unclassified and Unnamed Parks

Unclassified-Unnamed Park Erickson/Simonson Site 10.0

TOTAL CITY PARK AND RECREATION AREAS 414.1acres

Irvine Park

The City's premier park and largest recreation facility is the 265-acre Irvine Park, which is located along Duncan Creek in the northern part of the City. Duncan Creek flows through the park. Glen Loch Dam forms an impoundment know as Glen Loch Lake at the upper end of the park. Approximately 225 acres within the park are managed as natural and scenic areas.

Irvine Park Drive is the main road through the park. Other major roads for vehicular use are Wolfe Drive and Ematinger Drive. The primary entrance is from Bridgewater Street. Secondary entrances are from Rutledge Street on the west, CTH S to the north, and Jefferson Avenue to the East.

Developed facilities at Irvine Park include:

Zoo
Buffalo enclosure
Bandshell
Historical museum and historic schoolhouse and log cabin
Jaycee barn
Main pavilion
Duck pond
Hiking and X-C ski trails

Marshall Park

Marshall Park is an 8.0-acre park that accommodates softball, baseball, tennis, and ice skating facilities. There is also a rose garden and a lily garden. The City's Bernard F. Willi Municipal Pool is located in Marshall Park. This park is the City's busiest and it contains the highest concentration of active recreation facilities.

William and Gertrude Casper Recreational Park

The City is in the process of completing a major athletic complex on the southwest side of the City. planned facilities include baseball, softball, and soccer fields, cross-country ski trails, and a tobogganing and sledding area.

At the time that the athletic complex is completed and the fields are available for scheduled play, the City's existing athletic field, John E. Murphy Field, will be closed. The John E. Murphy Field is located in the midst of the City's public works facility site. Upon closure, the 3-acre field will be converted to use by the City Street Department.

Neighborhood Parks and Playgrounds

The City's seven neighborhood parks and playgrounds provide a total of 18.6 acres of neighborhood parkland. The parks range in size from 0.3 acres to 5.0 acres in size and provide a variety of informal playfields, picnic areas, and play equipment. These parks are intended primarily for access by children walking or bicycling to the parks from the immediately surrounding neighborhoods. Generally, the service areas for neighborhood parks and playgrounds range from one-quarter to one-half mile from the park sites.

Neighborhood parks and playgrounds in the City include:

Henry Adams Park (unimproved) 5.0 Acres
Hiram S. Allen Park 1.6 Acres
Simon Lyberg Park 0.3 Acres
loc. Stanley Park 0.3 Acres
Alexander Wiley Park 1.5 Acres
Frenchtown Park (partially improved) 4.0 Acres
James Buchanan Memorial Park 1.2 Acres
Alexander McBean Park 0.4 Acres
Thaddeus Pound Park 4.0 Acres

Conservancy Parks

Five conservancy parks provide 61.5 acres of public open space. These City-owned open spaces are managed primarily for passive recreation (e.g. hiking, nature observation) and conservancy preservation. They include:

Kalk-Fatu Woodland Park 58.0 Acres
Goldsmith Wildlife refuge 1.5 Acres
Hurd Park 2.0 Acres
Riverside Industrial Park Conservancy Area Unknown Acreage
Chippewa River Corridor Unknown Acreage

Undeveloped Park Sites

The Erickson/Simonson land is a 1O.O-acre parcel located west of Jefferson Avenue near the south end of Glen Lock Lake. The site was donated for park purposes. The Erickson/Simonson land is currently unnamed and undeveloped but will be developed with picnic and playground facilities, shelters, a boat landing and a fishing dock.

Ice Hockey Arena

The Ice Hockey Arena is owned by the Chippewa Falls Youth Hockey Association. The facility is located near the intersection of First Street and State Street. The facility is financed by user groups and operated primarily with volunteer help.

The facility is used for youth hockey leagues, high school hockey teams, adult hockey, figure skating, and limited open public skating. A lighted outdoor skating rink is available during the winter months.

The Hockey Arena is currently only used seasonally, but there are plans to upgrade the facility from nine to twelve months' operation.

Northern Wisconsin State Fair Grounds

The Northern Wisconsin State Fair Grounds is a privately-owned and operated fair grounds that is used for a variety of activities including the Pure Water Days Festival and Chamber of Commerce promotional activities and shows. The site is 76 acres.

Public and Parochial School Playgrounds and Playfields

The public and parochial schools in the City provide an additional 29.6 acres of recreational land that includes a variety of playfields and playgrounds. Many of the school facilities function as important neighborhood recreation facilities used by the immediately surrounding residents.

School recreation facilities include:

Parkview Elementary Playground
Hillcrest Elementary Playground
Holy Ghost Elementary Playground
Halmstad School Playground 20.0 Acres
Southview School Playground 4.3 Acres
Notre Dame School Playground 0.5 Acres
St. Charles School Playground 2.0 Acres
McDonell High School Playfield 1.8 Acres
Chippewa Falls High School Playfield 7.0 acres
Chippewa Falls Middle School Playfield 10.0 Acres

Timber Terrace Golf Course

The Timber Terrace Golf Course is a privately owned nine-hole golf course located at 1117 Pumphouse Road. This course is the only golf course within the City limits of Chippewa Falls. Facilities at Timber Terrace Golf Course include a restaurant, clubhouse, and a maintenance/cart storage area. The course sits on the north side of the Chippewa River and includes approximately 50 acres of land. With 35 acres as built greenways, the remaining acreage is a combination of wetlands and ponds, which are managed as conservancy areas.

PARK AND RECREATION FACILITY NEEDS

Acreage Needs Assessment

The City's adopted Outdoor Recreation Plan identifies a service standard of 10 acres of public recreation land per 1,000 residents. On the basis of this standard, the City should be providing approximately 135 acres of public park facility.

In terms of gross acreage, the City's supply of park land far exceeds the minimum service standard. However, much of the public park land includes natural areas that are managed as conservancy lands. Excluding the approximately 280 acres of conservancy land, the City's developed park land is in approximate balance with respect to the acreage service standard of 10 acres per 1,000 population.

Park Land Distribution - Existing Neighborhood Park Deficiencies

The second aspect of a park land needs analysis is distribution. The central and northwest residential neighborhoods are well-served by existing recreation facilities. The combination of City parks and school facilities provides recreation facilities within one-quarter to one-half mile of most residences in these areas.

The neighborhoods that are most deficient in parkland and facilities for active recreational use include:

1. Pumphouse Road - Dutchman Drive Neighborhood

"The Flats" is a predominately multifamily residential area with no neighborhood park facilities. The City should seek opportunities to acquire a site for neighborhood playground facilities within or near "The Flats" neighborhood.

2. Summit Avenue - Pine Ridge Avenue Area

The Summit Avenue - Pine Ridge area is deficient in improved parks. Adams Park is currently a 5.0-acre unimproved park site that will ultimately serve this area. A site plan completed in 1985 called for providing playground equipment, a park shelter, trails, tennis courts, a skating area, and a sledding and tobogganing hill in Adams Park. These improvements should be incrementally installed as new residential development occurs in the southeast area.

3. Southeast neighborhoods (east of STH 124 and south of STH 29)

The neighborhood south of Business Highway 29 and east of STH 124 in the southeast part of the City lacks adequate neighborhood facilities. This is an area that should be served with a 4- to 6-acre neighborhood park with playground equipment and youth playfields.

Future Neighborhood Park Acquisitions to Serve New Development

As new development occurs, additional parkland acquisitions will be needed to serve new residents. Land acquisitions should come primarily from land dedications required as part of the plat approval process. Areas that will need additional parkland include:

1. Chippewa County Farm Property

When the residential component of the Chippewa County Farm Property is platted, a 5- to 10-acre neighborhood park should be dedicated to the City. The park should be located east of Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard between CTH I and CTH S. Facilities at the park should include playground equipment, playfields, and picnic areas.

2. Northwest Neighborhood

When land north of Bridgewater Street and west of Terrill Street is platted, a 5- to 10-acre neighborhood park should be dedicated to the City, as part of the platting process. Facilities at the park should include playground equipment, playfields, and picnic areas.

3. Northern Wisconsin Center Property

If portions of the State-owned Northern Wisconsin Center property are platted or developed as residential areas, a 5- to 1 O-acre neighborhood park will be needed to serve this area. The park site should be located south of CTH J and east of Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard.

Riverfront Gateway Festival Park

The major community park improvement that the City should undertake over the next two decades is the improvement of City-owned land along the north side of the Chippewa River between the two bridges in the downtown area. This area is referred to as the Riverfront Gateway Festival Park. Portions of the City-owned land along the river are currently utilized as a sewer overflow basin. As the City phases out the few remaining combined storm and sanitary sewers, this large concrete facility will no longer be needed and should be removed.

The site should be converted to a riverfront festival park. As funding becomes available, additional parcels south of the new Visitors Center should be acquired and integrated into the park plan. Other acquisitions should include land in the 1OO-year flood plain east of Bridge Street, which should be attached to Allen Park.

The Riverfront Gateway Festival Park should become the City's primary downtown park and site for riverfront festivals. The park will be the junction for several important trails. The trailhead/parking area for accessing regional trails should be adjacent to the Visitors Center.

A high priority for the City is developing a Master Plan for the riverfront park. The Master Plan should also address the acquisition of other 1OO-year floodplain properties in the downtown area and conversion of these areas to public parkland. This is a project that is likely to be eligible for State and Federal funding.

RECOMMENDED EXISTING PARK FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS

Irvine Park Improvements

The Irvine Park Master Plan, which was prepared in 1996, calls for a number of facility improvements, but does not recommend any major changes in overall management direction. Some of the specific recommendations include:

Bridgewater Picnic Area
New shelter and restroom
New playground equipment (completed)
New parking lots (shared with bandshell and museum - completed)
Park Office and Museum
New building with access to utilities
Centralized artifact display
Visitor and employee parking areas
Bus loop
Overflow parking area
Bear Den Road
Closed to automobile use
Relocate bears
Duck Pond/Pavilion Area
Reroute automobile traffic
Unified picnic and play area
New parking
Volleyball and basketball courts - separated from picnic areas
New restrooms (completed)
Restoration of Duncan Creek bank
Zoo Complex
Relocate maintenance area
Expand at present location
Create centralized walkway
Additional parking
Reconfigure animal enclosures
Relocate elk
Buffalo Picnic Area
New parking
Erickson/Simonson Site
New boat launch
New picnic facilities
Shelter
New access drive and parking
Overlook Picnic Area
Reroute road
New shelter and picnic area
New parking area
Elk Picnic Area
Relocate elk (completed)
Move log cabin nearer to the schoolhouse
New drive and parking area
Sledding hill
Close Bluff Drive to automobiles
Maintenance Complex
New maintenance buildings and parking
Winter access to snow removal equipment
Northern Park Area
Pull-over areas for lake viewing
Small picnic areas
New parking lots for trailhead, rumble-bridge, and amphitheater access
New road segment for interior park turn-around

Marshall Park Improvements

Improvements planned for Marshall Park include:

New parking area serving both the ball field and swimming pool (completed)
Park shelter for large groups
Relocate or remove tennis courts (completed)
Realign the park entrance to match the entrance to Irvine Park (completed)
Add three basketball courts (completed)
Replace fencing, bleachers and warm-up area for the softball field
Develop sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits and skateboard area

Thaddeus Pound Park Improvements (West South Avenue)

Thaddeus Pound Park is presently used primarily for woman's softball. There is some playground equipment at the site. Parking is a problem during softball events and the City should consider purchasing adjoining land to expand the parking area. When the softball fields at the new athletic complex are completed, the playfield at Thaddeus Pond Park will only be used for youth softball. The park will continue to function as the primary neighborhood park for the area north of STH 124 and southeast of CTH J (Park Avenue).

Buchanan Memorial Park Improvements

Improvements planned for Buchanan Memorial Park, which functions as the primary neighborhood park for the area south of Canal Street, include lighting and metering the two tennis courts, construction of a small park shelter and beautification with more tree and shrub planting.

Murphy Ball Field

When the William and Gertrude Casper Recreational Park is completed, Murphy Ball Field will be phased out.

Adams Park Improvements

The site master plan for Adams Park, prepared in 1985, calls for playground equipment, a shelter, tennis courts, a skating rink, and a sledding area. These improvements should be phased in as future residential development occurs in the area. Installation of improvements at Adams Park will address the current facility deficiency in the Summit Avenue - Pine Ridge area.

RECREATIONAL TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS

One of the highest recreational priorities in the City, as indicated by the Community Opinion Survey conducted in early 1999, is an improved recreational trail system for hiking and bicycling. Priority studies undertaken by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources also indicate that trails are one of the highest priority recreation facility needs on a statewide basis.

Several studies and plans have been prepared in recent years identifying specific trail improvements. In 1995, the City of Chippewa Falls adopted a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan that identifies both improvements with street rights-of-way and recommended off-street trail improvements.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has adopted the Chippewa Valley Trail System Master Plan that identifies the primary regional trail corridor serving the Eau Claire-Chippewa Falls area.

The following are specific recreation trail improvements that the City should implement over the next two decades. The trail corridors should be acquired through a combination of easements and acquisitions. In some areas, it may be necessary to utilize public street rights-of-way on either an interim or permanent basis, if the acquisition of off-street corridors is not feasible.

Duncan Creek Parkway Trail

One of the highest priority trail linkages is to develop a trail that would extend from the proposed Riverfront Gateway Festival Park to Marshall Park and Irvine Park. The trail should follow, as close as feasible, the Duncan Creek corridor. Access to the trail should be provided from the Heyde Center for the Arts, Leinenkugel Brewery and the Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology.

The trail should become an important component of the City's tourist development strategy since it will link the riverfront with several of the key tourist attractions in the area.

North Chippewa River Recreation Trail

A key section of trail along the north bank of the Chippewa River between Bridge Street and Pumphouse Road is in the planning stages for construction. Funding has been approved. The trail follows a former railroad bed. The North Chippewa River Trail will ultimately connect to the recreation trail being developed in the Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard corridor and will connect to conservancy lands on the north side of the Chippewa River.

Chippewa Valley Trail

The Chippewa Valley Trail is the primary regional trail linking the Eau Claire – Chippewa Valley area with the Red Cedar Trail west of Eau Claire to the Old Abe Trail that extends from Lake Wissota to Cornell. The "urban section" of the trail will go through Chippewa Falls.

The route of the Chippewa Valley Trail through Chippewa Falls was not refined at the time the Chippewa Valley Trail Master Plan was prepared in 1996. It is assumed that the trail will utilize an abandoned railroad corridor on the southwest side of the City which connects to the Town of Hallie portion of the trail or the Park Avenue right-of-way that would ultimately link with the section of trail being constructed in the Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard right-of-way.

The main route, which will probably be completed first, will follow Park Avenue to Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard. At some point in the future this route may be connected with the proposed Riverfront Gateway Festival Park in downtown Chippewa Falls and follow the north bank of the Chippewa River to connect with the Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard trail section.

Casper Park Connecting Trail

Another very important trail connector in the City will be pedestrian and bicycle access to Casper Park, the City's athletic complex on Nelson Road. The athletic facility is located relatively distant from most of the City's' residential neighborhoods. Safe trail access is important.

The proposed trail to the athletic facility crosses the Main Street Bridge and follows Canal Street. A trail loop should be developed through the athletic complex adjoining the West Well Field area.

8. DOWNTOWN AND RIVERFRONT REVITALIZATION PLAN

A major goal of the City is to maintain downtown Chippewa Falls as a strong retail district and the government and cultural center of the City.

A major theme of any future development in the downtown area should be to capitalize on the unique assets of the Chippewa River and Duncan Creek. These features offer an opportunity for downtown Chippewa Falls to beautify the downtown area and create facilities and improvements that will attract both out-of-town visitors and residents of the area to the downtown.

The City, working closely with the downtown business community through Chippewa Falls Main Street Inc., has successfully maintained a strong base of retail businesses in the downtown. The coordinated efforts for expansion of Gordy's IGA and Hardware Hank in the heart of the downtown helped to secure a major commercial anchor for the downtown retailers and businesses.

Most of the major government offices, financial institutions, and professional offices are located in the downtown area. These facilities are extremely important in terms of retaining employment downtown and ensuring that the downtown continues to function as the center of the community. Equally important are the churches and other cultural institutions.

Compared to many communities, Chippewa Falls has a strong downtown business core. While the current conditions are good, the City needs to maintain a focus on preserving the vitality of the downtown. With the construction of the East Bridge Corridor and Highway 29 Bypass, there will be opportunities to create new business districts elsewhere in the area that could draw some of the customer base from downtown businesses.

In order to both preserve the existing business base and attract new businesses into the downtown, the City will need to focus on several different strategies that include:

Increasing the amount of recreation and tourist-oriented business development
Encouraging more downtown housing, particularly "market rate" housing
Retaining government and professional offices downtown
Retaining churches and other cultural institutions and facilities downtown
Redeveloping underutilized sites
Removing or rehabilitating blighted, deteriorated and underutilized structures
Rehabilitating valuable historic buildings
Encouraging storefronts that blend with the historic character of the downtown

MAJOR DOWNTOWN PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

Over the next ten years the City and the business community should undertake several specific public and quasi-public projects to help stabilize the downtown area and attract new developments. These projects include:

Riverfront Gateway Festival Park

Creating a Riverfront Park along the north bank of the Chippewa River between the Bridge Street and Main Street Bridges should be one of the high priority projects for the City. The site offers direct access to the river and provides views of the rushing water below the dam. The majority of the land in this area is in City ownership.

The riverfront site should become the focal point for tourists coming into Chippewa Falls. The Chamber of Commerce and its new Visitor's Center, Main Street Inc., and the Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation are now located in a building at the southwest corner of Bridge and River Streets.

The riverfront site is also the junction point for several recreational trails and is a natural site for a regional trailhead facility. Future trails intersecting in this area include the Duncan Creek Parkway Trail, the north bank Chippewa River Trail, and the trail extending southwest to the City's Athletic Complex.

One of the additional benefits of developing the Riverfront Gateway Festival Park would be the enhancement of the views for structures along the north side of River Street. The properties fronting on the Riverfront Gateway Festival Park would be logical sites for redevelopment as a combination of "riverview" housing with specialty retail business and restaurants at the street level.

The proposed Riverfront Park will serve several different functions in the community including:

Riverwalk and Trailhead
Festival Grounds
River and Dam Observation Deck
Downtown Green Space and Picnic Area
Gateway to the City

The major impediment to redeveloping the riverfront site as a festival park is the location of the City's overflow sewage detention basin. This large concrete structure was built by the City to intercept combined storm and sanitary sewage before it can flow into the Chippewa River. As the City and private building owners gradually eliminate the need for the combined sewers, this facility will no longer be necessary and the concrete structure can be removed. There is likely to continue to be a need to provide a storm water detention area on the site, but this could be done within a "green" detention basin that could be integrated into the plans for the riverfront festival park.

The other issues associated with developing the Riverfront Gateway Festival Park are acquisition of the two remaining businesses on the block - Phillips 66 and Chippewa Valley Distribution - and acquisition of the property owned by the railroad. These parcels would need to be acquired by the City to fully develop the park, although partial improvements could occur prior to acquisition of these sites.

Duncan Creek Parkway

The improvement of Duncan Creek Parkway through the downtown area is a second major project that is closely-related to the Riverfront Gateway Festival Park.

Duncan Creek is a unique resource that should be incorporated into future plans for the downtown area. The creek flows from Irvine Park north of downtown to the mouth of the creek immediately below the power dam. The shoreline of the creek is in a natural condition through most of the downtown area. The enhancement of the land adjacent to the creek and a development of "parkway" would help integrate this resource into the downtown and make it a more important community asset.

One of the advantages of enhancing the Duncan Creek corridor is providing a pedestrian link between the riverfront and the tourist and recreation-oriented facilities along the creek upstream from downtown. Duncan Creek flows through a park-like setting at Leinenkugel Brewery, Marshall Park swimming pool, and through the length of Irvine Park. The creek flows along the Woolen Mill site, which is proposed as a potential relocation site for the Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology. At the lower end near its mouth, Duncan Creek passes under Rainbow Marsh Arch Bridge and flows below the Heyde Center for the Arts, which is located in the original McDonell Memorial High School. The creek flows through Allen Park and the Goldsmith Wildlife Refuge. The lower end of the creek has a broad floodplain that is subject to flooding, in part because of high water back up from water rushing through the Chippewa River Dam.

Proposed improvements along the Duncan Creek Corridor include:

Acquisition of land and removal of structures as required in the floodplain east and west of Bridge Street and south of Spring Street
Expansion of Allen Park to include acquired floodplain
Create a vista of the Rainbow Bridge from Bridge Street and Allen Park
Develop a trail connection to the Heyde Center for the Arts
Develop a continuous trail along Duncan Creek from the Riverfront Park to Irvine Park. Sections of the trail may need to utilize public street right-of-way on either an interim or long-term basis.
Redevelop the Woolen Mill site as the preferred site for the Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology
Connect the Duncan Creek Trail to the Leinenkugel Brewery site and the Jefferson Avenue Trail

Renovating Bridge Street Streetscape Improvements

Over the next ten years the downtown streetscape lighting and streetscape furnishings will need renovation. It may be feasible to continue utilizing the same light standards and fixtures, but the street trees and some of the signage should be upgraded.

The major change in the streetscape improvements should be the removal of the "gateway" flags at Bridge Street and River Street and the redevelopment of a new "entrance feature" marking the entrance into the downtown business district. The redesign of the "entrance feature" should be done concurrent with a study of the downtown circulation system. With the reduction of much of the downtown through-traffic, due to the construction of Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard and Highway 29 Bypass, the current one-way street section on Bridge Street should be re-evaluated. Businesses on Bridge Street would likely benefit from reinstituting two-way traffic.

Heyde Center for the Arts

The Heyde Center for the Arts, which is located in the original McDonell Memorial High School, has the potential to become a major enhancement for the downtown area. The building was designed and constructed in 1907 and has distinctive Roman Tuscan columns. The structure is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The facility is currently being restored by the Chippewa Falls Cultural Association as a facility for community arts including theater productions, community meeting rooms, and art display areas. The former Notre Dame Convent, which is located nearby, houses the Chippewa County Historical Society and Genealogy Society.

For visitors coming into the community, the Heyde Center for the Arts, along with Notre Dame Middle School and Notre Dame Church, creates a dominant landmark at the top of East Hill. It will be important for the City and the Board of the Chippewa Valley Cultural Association to investigate ways to better link this facility with the downtown business district.

Pedestrian access to the Heyde Center for the Arts should be provided utilizing either the Rainbow Bridge at Spring Street or a new pedestrian bridge in Allen Park downstream from the Rainbow Bridge.

DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT SITES

There are a number of sites within the downtown area that are currently either underutilized or in blighted and deteriorated condition. These sites should be targeted for redevelopment.

Cobban Block Redevelopment

The Cobban Block is located on the block bounded by Central Street and Grand Avenue between Bridge Street and Rushman Drive. The block includes commercial frontage along Bridge Street and the Northwestern Bank drive-up facility, which is located at the corner of Central and Rushman. The portion of the block planned for redevelopment includes the one-story building currently occupied by the Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology.

Potential uses for the site include retail and office development and upper level residential or office use. The optimum development would include residential development oriented towards Duncan Creek.

Bridge and River Street Site

The site at the northwest corner of Bridge and River Streets is a key redevelopment site. The site is located across River Street from the Chamber of Commerce Visitor's Center building and is the "gateway" site to the downtown business district. The site is currently occupied by a one-story structure formerly used by a gas station and car wash.

Potential redevelopment uses include retail and office development. The upper level of a structure on the site would potentially have a good view of the Riverfront Gateway Festival Park.

100 Block West River Street

The 100 Block of West River Street is the block located between the Shoe Factory Apartments and Burger King on West River Street. Current uses on the 100 Block include the Moose Lodge at the corner of River and Bay Streets and the Mason Shoe warehouse at the corner of River and Island Streets. The Moose Lodge structure is an historic building constructed in 1883 and formerly occupied by the Chippewa Lumber and Boom Company. The building occupied by the Mason Shoe warehouse was constructed in 1916.

As the Riverfront Gateway Festival Park is developed, this block will become a prime location for first level specialty business and upper level residential. Both the Moose Lodge and the Mason Shoe warehouse are suitable for historic rehabilitation and retrofit projects, comparable to the Shoe Factory Apartments.

Weigand Ford Site

The former Weigand Ford site is located on several parcels at the corner of Bay and Willow Streets. The site is located near the central part of the downtown business district. Most of the site is currently vacant. Potential redevelopment uses include retail or office development and/or public parking. Public parking on the site would serve business along the 400 through 600 Blocks of North Bridge Street.

City-Owned Alexander Wiley Park Site

Alexander Wiley Park is a 1.5-acre parcel on the east side of Duncan Creek between Spring and Central Streets. Most of the site is currently used for downtown employee parking.

Portions of this site could be redeveloped as "creekside" housing along Duncan Creek. Sufficient public land should be reserved for a trail along the creek and a "mini-park" for playground equipment on Rushman Drive.

Any proceeds from the sale of portions of the site for downtown housing should be applied towards purchasing more centrally located public parking sites in the downtown area.

Woolen Mill Site

The Woolen Mill site is a City-owned site located at the north end of downtown along Duncan Creek. The site is at the intersection of Elm and Prairie Streets.

The optimal use for the site is for the relocation of the Chippewa Falls Museum of Industry and Technology. The site adjoins the Leinenkugel Brewery and would make an excellent "destination area" on the Duncan Creek Parkway. An alternative use of the site would be "creekside" residential development.

DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT FUNDING STRATEGIES

Redevelopment of downtown sites generally requires some level of public assistance. From a developer's perspective, downtowns are often more costly to develop than "greenfield" sites on the outskirts of the City. Downtown sites often require land assembly, environmental clean-up, and infrastructure improvements. Land costs for downtown sites are generally higher than for "greenfield" sites.

Parking is often a major impediment to redeveloping downtown sites. While the City can allow flexibility in meeting the parking requirements, most business tenants require parking. Potential developers and the City need to coordinate the planning for downtown parking sites to ensure that sufficient parking is available to attract business tenants to the area.

The City has a range of tools available to help provide incentives for downtown redevelopment and reinvestment. The key tool that the City has used in the past has been Tax Incremental Financing (TIF). TIF Districts were formed to help provide incentives and development assistance for several expansion and renovation projects in the downtown. The City is willing to consider creating a new TIF District, which would include major redevelopment sites.

Other incentives that may be available for various types of downtown development include: Community Development Block Grants (CDBG's), Section 42 Tax Credits, and tax credits for historic preservation. Certain housing projects may qualify for bonding or other forms of assistance from the Chippewa County Housing Authority. The City should also actively seek State and Federal funding assistance for the riverfront park and trail improvements. Potential funding sources for these projects include the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Stewardship Program and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Enhancement Funds.

9. CIRCULATION PLAN

REGIONAL HIGHWAY SYSTEM

Chippewa Falls is well served by the regional highway system. The key regional highways serving the Chippewa Falls area include:

USH 53 - A north-south freeway and expressway extending from 1-90/94 at Eau Claire with the Duluth - Superior area. USH 53 south of I - 94 is a two- to four-lane highway extending south to the LaCrosse area.

STH 29 - An east-west highway that is being upgraded to a four-lane freeway and expressway connecting Chippewa Falls with Interstate 94 to the west and Green Bay and Interstate 43 to the east. STH 29 is the primary east-west highway serving central and northern Wisconsin and is a major transportation asset for Chippewa Falls.

Both USH 53 and STH 29 are improved four-lane corridors that are considered part of Wisconsin's "Backbone Highway" system. With its location at the intersection of these two major regional highways, Chippewa Falls has excellent access to the Interstate Highway system.

Other classified State Trunk Highways serving Chippewa Falls include:

STH 124 - a north-south, major thoroughfare connecting Chippewa Falls with Eau Claire and extending to 1-94 via North Crossing Rd. in Eau Claire.

STH 178 - a north-south arterial highway linking the communities of Cornell and Jim Falls to Chippewa Falls. STH 178 connects to STH 64.

County Trunk Highways serving the City include:

CTH J (Park Avenue)

CTH X (Lake Wissota access)

CTH N (Elm Street)

CTH I

CTH Q (Wheaton Street)

CTH P (Woodward Avenue)

CTH S

CTH 00

REGIONAL HIGHWAY SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS

Several planned regional highway improvements will have a significant impact on both circulation and development patterns in the Chippewa Falls area.

STH 29 Chippewa Falls Bypass

The STH 29 Chippewa Falls Bypass will reroute approximately 6.5 miles of STH 29 around the south side of the City. The project will include a new bridge crossing over the Chippewa River. The bypass route will rejoin an upgraded STH 29 corridor west of the Chippewa River. The construction of the STH 29 - Chippewa Falls Bypass began in 1999. Completion is scheduled for 2005.

The east interchange, which will be located south of Northern Wisconsin Center, will be the major entrance into Chippewa Falls from the east. The interchange will provide access to the existing STH 29 corridor, which may be redesignated Business Highway 29, and the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard).

The second Chippewa Falls interchange will be located north of CTH 00 approximately one-quarter mile east of the existing USH 53 and STH 124 interchange. This interchange will provide access to Chippewa Falls via the existing STH 29/124 corridor.

A far west interchange will be located west of the Chippewa River at Kimpton Road (90th St.) and will provide access to Chippewa Falls via either the existing STH 29 corridor (River Street) or CTH N (Elm Street).

USH 53 Reconstruction

STH 124 Interchange to Interstate Highway 94

USH 53 will be reconstructed to a four-lane divided freeway from the new interchange with STH 29 to approximately one mile north of the existing interchange of USH 53 and Interstate Highway 94. The new corridor will be located east of the existing USH 53/124 (Hastings Way) corridor. It will bypass the existing commercial strip development along the current highway.

The new USH 53 Freeway will provide a more efficient link between Chippewa Falls and Interstate Highway 94 south and east of the Eau Claire - Chippewa Falls area.

East Bridge Corridor

Another major highway project impacting the City of Chippewa Falls, is the construction of the East Bridge Corridor, which has been named Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard. The new highway will connect the Chippewa County Farm Property and the east interchange with STH 29. Chippewa County and WISDOT are studying the County Functional Classification System in preparation for potential jurisdictional transfers between the two governmental entities. The City has been a participant in these discussions. One of the potential outcomes is designating Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard as STH 178 with a corresponding jurisdictional transfer of existing STH 178 to the City of Chippewa Falls as a local arterial street.

Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard will be a.J21A~e, divided rural/urban arterial with a pedestrian/bicycle trail along th~~f the road. The trail will be separated from the traffic lanes by a concrete barrier across the bridge.

One of the important impacts of Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard will be to remove much of the through-traffic that currently is routed along City streets throughout downtown Chippewa Falls. The shifting circulation pattern will relieve the central part of the City of much of its truck and comrrllltine tr;Jffic.

Six-Year Highway Improvement Plan

The following are other highway improvement projects outlined in the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Six-year Highway Improvement Program, issued in February 1999.

Highway

Year

Project Description

E. Bridge Corridor (STH 29-CTH I) 2000

STH 29

(Chippewa Fls. Bypass, .44 miles) 2000 Construct a new four-lane

facility on relocation and

construct a new bridge over

the Chippewa River

(Chippewa Fls. Bypass, 4.53 miles) 2000-2002

(Chippewa Fls. Bypass, 1.52 miles) 2001-2003

(E. Bridge Corridor to 1-94) Open 2005

(Elk Mound to Chippewa Fls.) Open 2005 21-mile portion will be

reconstructed as a four-lane

divided

STH 29 (CTH X) 1999 Repaint CTH X bridge over

STH 29

STH 29 (Stillson Road) 1999 Repaint Stillson Road bridge

STH 29 (CTH J Bridge) 1999 Repaint CTH J bridge over

STH 29

STH 29 (Trout Creek Bridge) 2000 Replace existing bridge over

Trout Creek

STH 29 (STH 29 over STH 124) 2000 Bridge rehabilitation STH 29

over STH 124

USH 53 (Peterson Road) 2001-2003 Rehabilitate the Peterson

Road bridge to Federal

Highway standards

USH 53 (STH 124 - STH 29) 2000 Repair concrete joints

STH 124 (Peterson to Summit Ave.) 1998 Resurface existing pavement

STH 124 (River St. to Fourth Ave.) 1998 Reconstruct the urban street

including replacing the

underground utilities

STH 124 (CTH S Intersection) 1998 Safety construction project

STH 124 (CTH 00 to 40th Ave.) 2000 Safety construction project

at the intersection of STH

124 and Peterson Road

STH 124 (4th Ave. to STH 64) 2001 Mill the existing pavement

and resurface with asphalt

STH 178 (CTH Y to STH 64) 1998 Installation of beam guard

STH 178 (CTH Y to CTH R) 2001-2003 Resurface existing highway

STH 178 (Bay St. to Kennedy Rd.) 2001-2003 Replace existing pavement

and curb & gutter, widening

pavement to 44 feet

between curbs

CITY STREET AND ROADWAY SYSTEM

City Arterial Streets

The highest functional classifications for City streets are principal and minor arterials. Most of the streets with arterial classification are the designated routes for Federal, State or County Trunk Highways. Generally, arterial streets have rights-of-way of 80' or more and are constructed as four-lane roads, although many arterials in older parts of the City may only have a 66' right-of-way and are two-lane streets.

The following streets are classified as arterial streets in the Functional Classification System Plan for the Eau Claire Urbanized Area (December 1996).

North/South Principal Arterials

STH 29 from River Street to the STH 124/29 Interchange

STH 124 from the STH 124/29 Interchange south to the City limit

Bay Street from River Street to Cedar Street

Cedar Street from Bay Street to Bridge Street

Bridge Street from Cedar Street to Elm Street

Elm Street from Bridge Street to High Street

Rushman Drive from River Street to Columbia Street

High Street from Columbia Street to Jefferson Street

Jefferson Street from Columbia to the City limits

North/South Minor Arterials

Main Street from Park Avenue to River Street

Bridge Street from River Street to Cedar Street

Willow Street from Bridge Street to Coleman Street

Wheaton Street from Mansir Street to north City limits

Mansir Street from Wheaton Street to Wagner Street

Wagner Street from Mansir Street to River Street

Columbia Street from Bridge Street to High Street

State Avenue from Columbia Street to First Avenue

State Street from Columbia Street to Grand Avenue

Kennedy Road from First Avenue to the north City limits

Woodward Avenue from STH 124 south to the City limits

East/West Principal Arterials

River Street (STH 29)

STH 29 from the STH 124/29 Interchange east to the City limits

East/West Minor Arterials

Park Avenue from STH 124 to the east City limits

Coleman Street from Willow Street to Wheaton Street

Bridgewater Avenue from Jefferson Street to Wheaton Street

Elm Street from USH 53 to Wheaton Street

First Avenue from Jefferson Avenue to Kennedy Road

CTH I from Kennedy Road to the City limits

City Collector Streets

The second highest classifications for City streets are collector streets. While most collector streets in older parts of the City only have 66' right-of-way, collector streets in newly developing neighborhoods should generally be platted with an 80' right-of-way.

The following streets in the City are classified as collector streets:

North/South Collectors

State Street from First Avenue north to the City limit

Palmer Street from Water Street to First Avenue

Kennedy Road from East Street to the STH 178 bypass

STH 178 bypass

Division Street from Water Street to Front Street

Grand Avenue from Front Street to Bay Street

Columbia Street from Bridge Street to Mansir Street

Columbia Street from High Street to State Street

Willow Street from High Street to Bridge Street

Terrill Street from Coleman Street to Elm Street

Tropicana Boulevard from Mansfield Street to Elm Street

Main Street from Park Avenue to Greenville Street

"N Street from Summit Avenue to Wisconsin Street

Woodward Avenue from STH 124 to Greenville Street

Buttenhoff Drive from Colome Street to South Avenue

Court Street from State Street to Bridge Street

Central Street from High Street to Bay Street

Spring Street from Bridge Street to Bay Street

East/West Collectors

Water Street from State Street to East Street

Cedar Street from Wheaton Street to Bay Street

Coleman Street from Wheaton Street to Terrill Street

Bel Air Boulevard from Terrill Street to Westwood Drive

Canal Street from Tilton Road to Main Street

Greenville Street from Main Street to "N Street

Wisconsin Street from "A" Street to Woodward Avenue

South Avenue from STH 124 to Buttenhoff Drive

Colome Street from Buttenhoff Drive to Woodward Avenue

RECLASSIFICATION OF STREETS

With the completion of the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard) and the STH 29 Chippewa Falls Bypass, there will be major shifts in the traffic volumes on many of the City streets. Generally, truck traffic and through-travel automobile traffic will be rerouted out of the central part of the City. The volume of traffic on downtown streets is expected to be substantially reduced.

The West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission has undertaken a functional classification study and a jurisdictional transfer study for the Eau Claire/Chippewa Falls urban area and those highways, roads and streets impacted by STH 29 and USH 53 construction issues. These studies are being completed with cooperation of WisDOT, Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Eau Claire County, and Chippewa County. The functional classification study should be complete in early 2000 and the jurisdictional transfers in late 2000.

Recommended New or Extended Collector and Arterial Streets

The following are recommended street extensions, or new collector and arterial streets that the City should designate on its Official Map. As new areas are platted, sufficient right-of-way should be retained for these roads.

Westwood Drive Extension

Westwood Drive should be extended south across the railroad corridor to connect with Fleet Street and River Street. Traffic on the west side of the City is currently routed through the West Hill residential neighborhoods and across the Main Street Bridge. The completion of Westwood Drive would relieve traffic on other west side streets and provide more efficient access to and from the Chippewa Falls Middle and High Schools and McDonell High School.

Tropicana Boulevard Extension

Tropicana Boulevard should be extended north of Elm Street and Bridgewater Street to serve the newly developing northwest neighborhood. An east-west collector street should connect with Wheaton Street to the east.

Southeast Collector

As the area south of Northern Wisconsin Center is platted, a through east-west collector street with an 80' right-of-way should be reserved to access the areas on either side of the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard). The road should extend from Park Avenue to Townline Road. The road will have an at-grade intersection with Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard and function as the major access street to both commercial and residential areas north of the east interchange.

Chippewa County Farm Property Collector Street

A collector street with an 80' right-of-way should be reserved for access to the Chippewa County Farm Property on either side of Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard. The west section of road will access lots within the Lake Wissota Business Park and serve as a connection between Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard and existing STH 178. The east section of the collector street should connect Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard and CTH S and serve as the major collector street for the residential area.

AIR TRANSPORTATION

The Chippewa Valley Regional Airport serves the Chippewa Valley and western Wisconsin. The airport is located between Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, one mile west of USH 53 at Melby Road.

The Chippewa Valley Regional Airport is the largest airport in northwestern Wisconsin and can accommodate most civilian and military jet aircraft.

Mesaba/Northwest Airlink Airlines provides regularly scheduled connecting service into the Northwest Airlines hub at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport.

Heartland Aviation, the airport's Fixed Base Operator, provides passenger and freight air charter transportation, aircraft fuel and lubricants, aircraft maintenance and repair, flight instruction, and aircraft rental and sales.

The regional airport plays an important role in the economic development strategy for the Chippewa Valley, the airport and its tenants serve the needs of corporate and business aviation. Heartland Aviation, the airport's Fixed Base Operator, provides passenger and freight air charter transportation, aircraft fuel and lubricants, aircraft maintenance and repair, flight instruction, and aircraft rental and sales.

The Regional Airport Commission that governs and administers the regional airport is actively pursuing numerous development projects. The Airport Master Plan is currently being updated; once completed this Master Plan will provide guidance for future airport expansion and development projects totaling several millions of dollars. The Regional Airport Commission recently completed an expansion of general aviation facilities and shortly will start reconstruction of the airport's secondary runway and taxiway.

The regional airport plays an important role in the economic development strategy for the Chippewa Valley and benefits many businesses in Chippewa Falls. The City is committed to working with other agencies in the Chippewa Valley to enhance both commercial and general aviation services to the area.

FREIGHT RAIL TRANSPORTATION

The City of Chippewa Falls is served by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Wisconsin Central Limited.

The Union Pacific is classified as a Class I railroad based on their higher level of revenues and their nationwide scope of operation. The Wisconsin Central is a Class II railroad based on their standing as a regional carrier.

The Wisconsin Central is an east-west rail line that runs south of Lake Wissota and the Chippewa River, and crosses the Chippewa River west of Highway 124. This rail line serves the Riverside Industrial Park. There is a rail line interchange facility just east of Highway 124 and north of Park Avenue where the Union Pacific and Wisconsin Central lines intersect. The Wisconsin Central has a rail yard facility on the southwest side of the City east of USH 53 and north of STH 29.

The Union Pacific is a north-south rail line that runs through the City of Chippewa Falls. There are bridges across the Chippewa River both upstream and downstream from the downtown area. A spur line serves the Northeast Industrial Park. A second spur is planned to serve the proposed Lake Wissota Business Park on the former Chippewa County Farm property.

The Long-Range Transportation Plan for the Chippewa-Eau Claire Metropolitan Planning Area recommends the consolidation of approximately 2.5 miles of dual railroad tracks south of the Chippewa River. This consolidation would eliminate four at-grade crossings at Woodward Avenue, Main Street, Wisconsin Street and Garden Street. The abandoned segment should be programmed for development as a section of the Chippewa Valley Trail.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

The Chippewa Falls Shared-Ride Taxi Service operates within the City limits of Chippewa Falls and specified adjacent areas. Service is provided from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays. The Chippewa Falls Shared-Ride Taxi Service provided 47,411 passenger revenue trips in 1998.

The Cityls shared-ride taxi service operates four lift-equipped vehicles to provide special transportation services.

10. LAND USE PLAN

EXISTING LAND USES

Inventory of Land Uses

Effective January 1999, the City of Chippewa Falls encompasses approximately 7,193 acres.

Approximately 3,959 acres of land in the City is developed. The remaining area consists of a combination of vacant developable land, waterways, wetlands, and 1 OO-year floodplains.

City of Chippewa Falls Land Uses - 1999

Type of Land Use 1999 Approx. Percent of Total Developed Land

Acreage Land

Residential 1,465.72 20.4% 37.0%

Commercial 248.87 3.4% 6.3%

Industrial 700.81 9.7% 17.7%

Institutional 805.09 11.2% 20.3%

Park and Recreation 738.72 10.3% 18.7%

Total Developed Land 3,959.21 55.0% 100%

Undeveloped Land

Waterways 341.17 4.7%

Wetland and Floodplain 1,112.02 15.5%

Vacant Developable Land 1,781.2 24.8%

Total Land Areas 7,193.64 100%

Source: SmithGroup JJR, 1999.

Comparison of Land Use Ratios to Other Communities

Based on a national survey of communities under 100,000 population conducted by the American Planning Association in 1992, the City of Chippewa Falls has a higher percentage of developed land in industrial use and a significantly lower percentage in commercial and residential uses than other comparably-sized communities. These ratios correspond to the fact that the City of Chippewa Falls has historically been an industrial city. Approximately 17.7 percent of the developed land in the City is used for industrial purposes, in comparison to the national average of 7 percent.

The City's ratio of 6.3 percent commercial uses is significantly lower than the national average of 10 percent commercial use.

Chippewa Falls, along with many other Wisconsin communities, has a higher percentage of total land in public uses. This reflects a public commitment to preserving public open spaces and preserving environmental corridors, as well as a well-developed system of public institutions.

Comparison of Chippewa Falls Developed Land Use Ratios to Other Cities Under 100,000 Population

Type of Land Use Percent of Average Percent of

Developed Land Developed Land

Chippewa Falls Cities Under 100,000

Residential 37.0% 52%

Commercial 6.3% 10%

Industrial 1 7.7% 7%

Public (Institutional, Utilities, Transportation, Parks) 39.0% 31%

Sources: SmithGroup JJR, 1999.

"Bringing Land Use Ratios Into the 1990's," PAS Memo, American Planning Association, August, 1992.

GENERAL LAND USE PLAN

Residential Development Areas

West Hill Neighborhood

The West Hill Neighborhood is one of the older and more fully developed neighborhoods in the City. The neighborhood is located west of the downtown area and includes the general area bounded by Central Street, Wheaton Street, Elm Street, and Bay Street. Many of the City's fine older homes are located in West Hill. The area also includes many smaller apartment buildings and older homes that have been divided into rental units.

One of the hallmarks of the West Hill Neighborhood is the reinvestment in older properties. Many homeowners have restored historic properties and helped maintain the vitality of the neighborhood. One of the key issues for this part of the City is stabilizing the proportion of rental and owner-occupied units. The City should re-evaluate the current R-3 zoning for much of the area that allows multifamily development as a permitted use. The City should also focus housing assistance programs on investments in properties to stabilize the neighborhood and maintain its existing character.

East Hill Neighborhood

The East Hill Neighborhood is also an older neighborhood located east of downtown. The neighborhood is generally bounded by Duncan Creek, First Avenue and the railroad corridor. The area is fully developed and relatively stable.

City policies for the East Hill Neighborhood should be similar to those for West Hill - maintaining the current balance of owner-occupied and rental units and stabilizing the condition of the existing housing stock.

Westside Neighborhood

The Westside Neighborhood is a predominately single family neighborhood in the vicinity of the Chippewa Falls Middle and High School and McDonell High School. The neighborhood is generally bounded by Wheaton Street, Elm Street, USH 53 and the bluff of the Chippewa River.

Most of the Westside Neighborhood has been developed since the 1960's and the majority of homes are ranch-style houses on 10,000 to 15,000 square foot lots. The Westside Neighborhood is one of the City's most desirable housing areas. City policies should focus on maintaining the stability and predominantly single family character of the neighborhood.

Among the most significant issues facing the Westside Neighborhood is handling traffic from the schools in the area. Parking is a problem on some of the residential streets and there are limited access roads into the area. The extension of Westwood Drive south to connect to River Street is a major improvement that would help relieve congestion on some of the neighborhood streets.

Northwest Quadrant

The Northwest Quadrant is the area north of Elm Street and west of Wheaton Street. This area is expected to be one of the major residential expansion areas over the next two decades. The area can be served by gravity flow sanitary sewers and is serviceable by the City's existing water supply system.

The key planning issues for the Northwest Quadrant are master planning new development parcels and preserving adequate street rights-of-way as new areas are platted.

Bridgewater Street west of Wheaton Street is an area that currently has a number of multifamily buildings. Additional multifamily housing could be developed in this area providing the development is in the context of a development master plan that supports a mixture of housing types and avoids the concentration of multifamily housing, such as has occurred in other areas of Chippewa Falls.

A longer-term residential development area is the City-owned land west of USH 53. This parcel should be developed only after the intervening development land east of USH 53 has been infilled. The City should retain ownership of this property until public utilities can be extended to serve the property and it can be developed as a residential neighborhood.

Landowners in the Northwest Quadrant should be required to develop overall master plans for entire ownership parcels prior to developing smaller subareas. The site master plans should include a mixture of housing types.

The primary collector street planned to serve the area north of Bridgewater is the extension of Tropicana Boulevard. This street should connect with an east-west collector street connecting to Wheaton Street.

"The Flats"

"The Flats" is the area east of downtown along the north bank of the Chippewa River. The area is nearly fully developed with mostly multifamily housing and a small area of single-family units. "The Flats" has served a very important role in the community by providing affordable rental housing.

The City has found that one of the most significant issues associated with "The Flats" is the high concentration of rental units in a single area. In the future, the City intends to distribute multiple family housing in various new residential areas in the City on smaller tracts of land not to exceed 10 acres.

In addition, one of the other key planning issues in "The Flats" is the absence of a neighborhood park. Several of the apartment complexes have large numbers of children. Aside from playground equipment provided on private sites, there are no publicly-owned playgrounds or open playfields and limited sidewalks or pedestrian pathways. The City should seek opportunities to develop a small playground and install pedestrian facilities within or accessible from "The Flats."

Chippewa County Farm Property - Residential Component

Approximately 100 acres of the Chippewa County Farm Property are being planned as a residential expansion area. The residential component of the development is planned for the area east of Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard. There is sufficient land available for a mixture of both single family and multifamily housing.

As with the Northwest Neighborhood, a key planning issue is master planning the entire development site so that there are sufficient areas reserved for street right-of-way, a future neighborhood park and storm water management basins.

Northeast Residential Expansion Area

Between Jefferson Avenue (STH 124) and the Railroad Corridor

The Northeast Residential Expansion Area is north of First Avenue and east of Jefferson Avenue (STH 124). The area is generally bounded on the east by the railroad corridor, which separates the planned residential expansion area from potential industrial sites east of the railroad.

This area can be served by gravity flow sanitary sewers into existing interceptors and is serviceable by the City's public water utility. The newly developing parcels in this area are suitable for a mixture of single family and multifamily residential development, providing the development is done within the context of a master plan for the entire area.

Southeast Residential Expansion Area

There is a large area south of Park Avenue and the Northern Wisconsin Center suitable for residential development. Much of this area is part of State-owned property. The owners of Premium Water are reserving another large parcel in this area as a "spring protection" conservancy.

This area is not presently serviceable by gravity flow sanitary sewers or public water supply. However, the area is likely to become serviceable if utility lines are extended to serve commercial development in the vicinity of the east interchange. Downstream utility improvements are being made in coordination with the construction of Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard to provide the needed capacity to serve this area.

Near Southside Neighborhood

The Near Southside Neighborhood includes older established streets north of STH 124. The majority of housing stock in this area is smaller and older. There are newer ranch-style houses south of Greenville Street.

The Near Southside Neighborhood is less solidly developed than West Hill and East Hill. There are some "infill" lots that could be developed. The key planning consideration for this area is maintaining the stability of housing and avoiding concentrations of lower income households in this area. The City should focus housing assistance programs on providing funds for housing rehabilitation and single family infill housing in this area.

Southside Neighborhood - South of STH 124

The area south of STH 124 is a mixed-housing type district with a combination of single family and multifamily development. Much of the area was originally developed in the Town of Hallie. Annexations have occurred in this area as private septic systems and/or wells have failed or landowners sought to develop with municipal utilities and services.

Because of the mixed-jurisdiction and history of development in this area, the neighborhood lacks consistent infrastructure such as public parks and sidewalks.

Commercial Development Areas

Downtown - Central Business District

The Downtown - Central Business District is expected to continue to be the City's primary retail shopping area and governmental and cultural center. While some of the storefronts are shifting to more specialty or niche businesses, the presence of Gordy's IGA, Hardware Hank, Mason Shoe, Foreign 5 and Country Treasures help anchor the general retail character of the area. The City should encourage governmental facilities and cultural institutions, such as churches, to remain in the downtown area. See Section 8 for more details on the Downtown Plan.

Chippewa Mall

The Chippewa Mall is an early "big box" retail center that was developed along STH 124 south of the Chippewa River. There are currently numerous vacancies within Chippewa Mall and the City has sought opportunities for redevelopment.

Businesses have vacated the Chippewa Mall primarily due to poor access. This has compromised its viability as a retail commercial center. At this point, redevelopment options include office, showroom and distribution center. The site may be suitable for a variety of recreational uses or combination of uses including theaters, indoor soccer, bowling, childcare, or other activities requiring large indoor areas.

USH 53 - STH 29 - STH 124 Corridors and Highway Interchanges

The USH 53 - STH 29 - STH 124 corridors have become the primary retail districts in the City for many types of commercial development. The high traffic volumes and accessibility from the highway system have provided the site and market conditions for "big box" retail development such as K-Mart, Farm and Fleet, and Shopko, and for a wide range of highway-oriented businesses.

With the development of two new interchange areas on the STH 29 Chippewa Falls Bypass, additional sites will be created that are likely to be prime locations for new highway-oriented commercial development and "big box" retailers.

One of the key planning issues for the City and the general area is preventing new commercial sites from making some of the older sites obsolete. This occurred several years ago when the businesses in Chippewa Mall were no longer able to compete successfully with newer commercial development that was more readily accessible from STH 124/29.

The problem of controlling both the rate of development and the type and character of new development at the interchanges is made more difficult by the fact that the interchange areas have mixed jurisdictions between the Cities of Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire and the Town of Hallie. From a long-range land use planning perspective, the interchange areas should be annexed and served with municipal services.

The following are development guidelines for new commercial development along the highway corridors and at key interchanges:

1. Public water supply and sanitary sewer service should serve commercial development at key interchanges and along the highway corridors.

2. Commercial developments visible from the interchanges and major highway corridors entering the City should utilize masonry materials or other comparable architectural materials on the facades facing the highway.

3. All commercial development with highway frontage should have the facade facing the highway corridor as either the most attractive facade or equally attractive as the other facades. Avoid facing loading docks, storage areas, and other features normally associated with the rear of commercial buildings oriented towards the highway.

4. All outdoor storage areas shall be screened or located in such a manner that they will not be visible from the adjoining highway or public street.

5. At least 25 percent of the site area of all commercial developments should be maintained as pervious landscaped area. Such areas may include stormwater management basins providing the basins are landscaped and vegetated to have an attractive appearance.

6. Require site landscaping equivalent to one canopy tree per 12 parking stalls. Such landscaping may be in the form of either tree "islands" or perimeter landscaping. In order to meet this requirement, deciduous trees must be at least 2.5-inch calipers and conifer trees must be at least 6 feet in height at the time of planting.

Economic Development Areas

The key economic development areas for the City of Chippewa Falls for the next planning period will be the former Chippewa County Farm property, which is being developed as the Lake Wissota Business Park, and the East Bridge Corridor Interchange Area south of the Northern Wisconsin Center at the new east interchange entrance into Chippewa Falls from the STH 29 Bypass.

Chippewa County Farm Property Subarea Plan

The Chippewa County Farm Property is a particularly important subarea within the City that has been the subject of several planning studies. The land has been annexed into the City. Chippewa County and the City have coordinated plans for extending municipal services and developing the area.

The most recent site and utility plan for the portion of the site north of CTH I have been prepared by a team led by Short Elliott Hendrickson, Inc. Vierbicher Associates prepared an earlier conceptual plan. Chippewa County has also adopted a plan prepared by the Chippewa County Land Conservation Department for the conservancy and institutional areas south of CTH I.

The key elements of the proposed master plan for the Chippewa County Farm property include:

1. The portion of the property north of CTH I is planned as a mixed-use development consisting of industrial, office, institutional, and residential components.

2. The portion of the site south of CTH I is planned for a combination of institutional use and conservancy. The land immediately south of CTH I and west of the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard) is planned for professional office and institutional uses, which could include a combination of medical-related facilities, and professional offices. This area is referred to as the "Upper Institutional Area-Unit 1."

3. The portion of the area south of CTH I that is east of the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard) and the 1OO-year floodplain along the Chippewa River is planned for conservancy use. It may include an interpretive center.

4. The preliminary master plan for the area north of CTH I and west of the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard) calls for approximately 200 acres to be developed as a planned industrial park. This area will be the City's primary industrial park over the next two decades. Market studies have indicated that over a 20-year period there will be a market demand for approximately 173 acres of new industrial land in the City.

5. Sufficient right-of-way should be reserved for the extension of a railroad spur into the portion of the site adjacent to STH 178.

6. The portion of the site adjoining CTH I and west of the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard) is planned for office development. The offices should be compatible with the medical offices and St. Joseph's hospital campus south of CTH I.

7. Convenience retail uses and businesses ancillary to the industrial and office parks could be located on lots adjacent to the intersections of the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard) and CTH I and CTH S or in the "four-corners" area at the intersection of STH 178 and CTH S.

8. The portion of the site north of CTH I and east of the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard) is planned for residential development. Such development should be master planned as a single large development, although different builders could develop components of the residential area. The residential development area could contain a mixture of single family and multifamily residential development.

9. A 5 to 10 acre neighborhood park should be located centrally in the portion of the site planned for residential development.

10. Access should be reserved for extending the Chippewa Valley Trail through the site to connect with the Old Abe Trail on the abandoned railroad right-of-way north of CTH S.

11. A stormwater management plan should be adopted for the entire site that utilizes one or more centralized stormwater basins, rather than a series of small basins on individual development sites.

12. Sufficient land should be reserved for a future public school site either in the residential component of the development, or in the Upper Institutional Area – Unit 1, which is south of CTH I.

13. Street access to the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard) should be limited to one collector street intersection midway between CTH I and CTH S.

14. Driveway access to individual parcels on the property should be from internal roads rather than from the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard), CTH I, or STH 178.

East Bridge Interchange Subarea Plan

A second key area that will become one of the major development areas over the next two decades is the land in the vicinity of the new interchange of STH 29 Chippewa Falls Bypass and the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard), and the State-owned Northern Wisconsin Center property.

The majority of the land north of the planned interchange is part of the State-owned Northern Wisconsin Center. The State owns a total of approximately 274 acres south of CTH J and 152 acres north of CTH J.

Other major landowners of the quadrants north of the planned interchange are the City of Chippewa Falls, E & B Engel, and Premium Waters. The 148.1 acres owned by Premium Waters are being held for conservancy purposes to protect the natural springs utilized by Premium Waters, a bottler and distributor of bottled water.

The key landowner of parcels south of the interchange is the Town of Hallie.

Wisconsin Department of Transportation has acquired approximately 80 acres for the interchange and associated stormwater management facilities.

The key elements of the plan for the East Bridge Interchange Subarea include:

1. The portion of State-owned Northern Wisconsin Center campus north of CTH J is anticipated to remain in institutional land use.

2. The existing mid-rise dormitory building south of CTH J is proposed for use by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections as a geriatric facility. The subarea plan assumes that approximately 40 acres of land adjacent to the geriatric facility will be retained by the State of Wisconsin for either future correctional facility expansion or other institutional use.

3. The subarea plan assumes the existing armory facility on CTH J will remain in its current use or a similar institutional use.

4. Approximately 234 acres of State-owned land south of the armory and geriatric facility should be planned for future development. The planned land uses include approximately 100 acres of commercial development and 120 acres of residential development.

5. Potential commercial uses include retail development, offices, and highway-related businesses. The interchange area is an optimal site for a motel or lodging facility.

6. The commercial areas, as shown on the subarea plan, should be accessed by a frontage road system intersecting with the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard) at a controlled intersection north of the interchange. The east frontage road should connect to Townline Road. The west frontage road should connect with Mall Drive.

7. Approximately 100 acres north of STH 29 immediately west of Townline Road are proposed for future residential development. This site would be suitable for a mix of single family and multifamily development.

8. Portions of the State-owned land west of the East Bridge Corridor (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard) are planned for residential development. The residential district would adjoin the existing residential neighborhood along Summit Avenue.

9. The Premium Waters land is anticipated to remain in conservancy status for the foreseeable future in order to protect the quality of natural springs in the area. If and when all or any portion of this property is developed, the planned land use is residential.

10. Adams Park should be improved as the neighborhood park for the surrounding residential district. As land adjoining the park site is platted, the City should acquire additional land for park expansion through the land dedication requirements of the City's Subdivision Ordinance.

11. The land owned by the Town of Hallie south of the interchange and north of 50^th Avenue is planned for future commercial development. Potential uses include highway-related services and retail stores.

12. The City, Chippewa County, and Town of Hallie should adopt architectural design standards for development at the interchange area and along the frontage roads to assure that the area develops as an attractive entrance into Chippewa Falls. (See the commercial development guidelines on page 56.)

13. Land south of 50th Street and adjacent to the rural subdivision on Townline Road should remain in rural residential development or agricultural use with densities not to exceed one dwelling unit per acre.

14. At the time that the State of Wisconsin decides to dispose of all or portions of the State-owned land, a site master plan for the entire ownership holding should be developed. The planning process for the State-owned land should be similar to the master planning that has occurred for the Chippewa County Farm Property where the City and County have jointly agreed on a land use plan and plan for extending municipal services to the area.

City Comprehensive Plan