Residents press Verona officials for stronger walkability, clear trail maps and measures of progress during comp‑plan hearing

The Verona Plan Commission heard more than a dozen public comments July 6 during a public hearing on the draft comprehensive plan, with speakers pressing the city to translate broad goals into measurable actions and to protect local trails and open space.

Residents raised three recurring concerns: pedestrian and bike safety, housing affordability, and clarity about how the city will coordinate growth with neighboring jurisdictions. Emma Foss and other speakers told the commission that bike infrastructure needs updates — Foss noted the town’s bike study is from 2016 and urged protected lanes, additional crossings and shade along routes to make walking and biking safer and more practical for children and seniors. Donna Spencer and several others echoed worries about missing sidewalks and high speeds on side streets.

Multiple commenters called for accountability metrics and a public dashboard to track the plan’s five stated goals (livable Verona, prosperous Verona, vibrant downtown, green Verona and fundamental Verona). “What gets measured gets managed,” Bob Cravens told the commission, suggesting concrete indicators such as acres of preserved open space, housing affordability measures and vacancy trends be published so residents can follow progress.

Volunteers and landowners also raised mapping and intergovernmental concerns. David Lonsdorf, a long‑time Ice Age Trail volunteer and town resident, said plan maps failed to label the Ice Age Trail explicitly and flagged several inaccuracies in open‑lands graphics that could complicate future annexation or coordination. Several speakers — and the mayor during discussion — emphasized that the boundary agreement between the city and the town of Verona recently expired, warning that a lack of a current agreement complicates orderly expansion and implementation of the plan.

Representatives from MKSK and partner firm 18 61 presented the draft plan earlier in the meeting, describing nearly two years of community engagement and a framework that emphasizes mixed‑use downtown expansion, diverse housing types (including the 'missing middle'), multimodal connections and an implementation matrix. Consultants and staff repeatedly stressed that the comprehensive plan is policy guidance, not a zoning ordinance, and that many elements will be advanced through future zoning updates and the capital improvement program.

Planning staff said public comment remains open through July 15; the task force will review comments, prepare a second draft and return the plan to the commission and the Common Council later this summer. The commission’s discussion repeatedly referenced practical implementation steps: adding trail labels on maps, prioritizing capital projects that enable active‑transportation connections, and seeking a renewed city‑town boundary agreement to reduce uncertainty for landowners.

The commission closed the hearing at 7:58 p.m. and discussed next procedural steps with staff; commissioners encouraged more public input and said they want the plan to include measurable outcomes where feasible.