Residents, conservation group urge Middleton council to remove Quarry Hill from proposed TID 7

Dozens of Middleton residents urged the Common Council on May 5 to remove Quarry Hill Conservancy parcels from a proposed Tax Increment District 7, saying the draft map risks irreversible harm to a locally treasured oak savanna.

"My house is surrounded by five proposed plots for the TIF district," said Liz Dingwall, who lives on Aurora Street, and urged the council to remove parcels 47 and 50 from the draft boundary. "These possible financial benefits do not outweigh the potential risk for future development of this conservancy." (Liz Dingwall)

Speakers representing the Friends of Quarry Hill Conservancy described the site’s ecological and historic value. "This beautiful hill of historic white oaks deserves your attention to preserve it, not to level it," said Anne Johnson, vice president of the nonprofit group. Several speakers, including Edgar Spalding — a UW–Madison professor emeritus who said he helped with the city's conservancy plan — pointed to nesting raptors, migratory birds and archaeological finds as reasons to keep the land protected. (Anne Johnson; Edgar Spalding)

Parents and educators also made the case that the conservancy has community and educational uses. Karen Meinholtz, who owns Little Red Preschool, said young children regularly use Quarry Hill for lessons on habitat and bird identification and that development would deprive future generations of that learning resource. "Decisions affect other people," she told the council. (Karen Meinholtz)

Residents objected to zoning and mapping inconsistencies they said have sown distrust. John Bechtel said he learned the parcel's zoning had changed years ago and that neighbors were not notified. Multiple speakers asked the council to provide clearer explanations about why conservancy parcels were included in the draft TID. (John Bechtel)

At the staff presentation that followed, Jeff Maloney of VanWall & Associates said the maps presented are preliminary: TID boundaries must follow parcel lines and the draft plan is still subject to statutory review. He said the draft aims to extend downtown redevelopment and to preserve continuity with the city’s Greenway, but that the plan can be revised before the joint review board process begins. (Jeff Maloney)

Council members responded to the public testimony and discussed tools to address concerns. Several alderpersons asked staff to explore whether a certified survey map (CSM) or parcel adjustments could narrow the TID boundary so that conservancy lands are excluded. Alder Schafer said he supported removing the conservancy parcels and encouraged colleagues to consider that change. Alder Myers emphasized the water utility’s capital needs and urged caution before removing city‑owned parcels that could fund utility work; he favored evaluating proposed projects on their specific merits. (Alder Schafer; Alder Myers)

The council asked staff and the consultant to return within two weeks with adjusted boundary options and legal analyses about parcel splitting and whether specific public improvements (such as trail work or stormwater management) could be written into the project plan without including the entire conservancy in the TID. No final boundary decision was made at the meeting.

What happens next: staff will prepare draft project plans for TID 7 (and a related TID 8) and bring them to the joint review board and plan commission for public hearings; the statutory process provides multiple opportunities for comment and boundary refinement.

Provenance: testimony and discussion documented in the meeting’s public comment and TID map presentation portions of the transcript.