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Verona reviews draft comprehensive plan aiming to guide 30 years of growth; council asks for measurable outcomes and dashboards
Summary
Consultant MKSK presented an 18-month draft comprehensive plan that outlines mixed-use growth, downtown expansion, environmental corridors, transportation connections and housing strategies; council members praised public engagement and asked staff for measurable outcomes, enhanced bike/ped safety, and focus on the Main/Verona intersection.
City council members and the planning consultant reviewed the draft Verona Comprehensive Plan during the July 13 meeting, a planning document consultant Nick Kaladjiresis said is intended to guide the city’s growth for the next 30 years.
"The draft plan as was stated was presented last week's plan commission meeting," consultant Nick Kaladjiresis told the council, while describing the project’s public-engagement program: four in‑person workshops, online surveys and a project website that he said received thousands of hits. Kaladjiresis said the plan groups 16 land‑use categories into four broad buckets — mixed use, living (housing), working space and community (parks/open space) — and highlights subarea plans for downtown, east, southeast, south and southwest areas.
The plan emphasizes mixed‑use redevelopment in growth areas, a larger downtown footprint to improve walkability, expanded environmental corridors, multimodal transportation, and a range of housing products including larger multifamily units meant to accommodate families. Kaladjiresis said the plan also links priorities to implementation steps such as zoning strategies, capital improvements alignment and potential metrics.
Council members welcomed the community engagement but asked staff and consultants for clearer, measurable next steps. Alderman Lydall and others highlighted the need to advance the Main/Verona intersection improvements first, describing the intersection as foundational to the plan’s transportation goals. Public commenters and the council requested more focus on bicycle and pedestrian safety, affordable housing options, and clearer language on the boundary agreement and gravel‑pit concerns.
Planning and administration staff said the comment period remains open through July 15; revisions will be considered by the plan task force, returned to the planning commission, and then come to the common council for adoption in August or September depending on the volume of edits.
Next steps: staff will assemble public comments, the task force will review revisions, and the plan will return to the planning commission and council for final adoption.
