City Planning Like It's 1999!

Whose side is the Commission on? Hint: It's not yours.

The Shorewood Planning Commission voted 3-1 last night to approve the highly controversial Watten Ponds development. One of the most surprising points came from Commissioner Cindy Holker and affirmed by Commissioners Ken Huskins and Daniele Longo. Commissioner Holker is a long-time resident of Shorewood and saw the changes at the original development in the area back in the 1990s. Her philosophy is that the city allowed those developments even though they changed the city, so it must allow these changes, too. It's a peculiar nostalgia - let's bring back the worst and throw out the best of the last 30 years.

Party Like It's 1995 All Over Again!

It seems like this wouldn't need to be said, but a lot has changed in Shorewood in the last 30 years. Back then, the city was a sleepy town on the fringe of the fringe of the suburbs - large areas between here and Minneapolis were still farms and fields. Open space was abundant. The idea of protecting natural spaces was hard to even imagine.

But today is different. Shorewood has grown, and open space has largely gone away. Look at a map, Watten Ponds is one of the last natural wooded and wetland areas in Shorewood, and one of the few remaining Big Woods in the state. What didn't seem like a precious asset in 1995 certainly does today. The Commission does not consider that, in 30 years, priorities change, conditions change, the map changes, even science changes (we now know how valuable open space is to our health, especially these virtually extinct Big Woods). We're down to the last natural woods in Shorewood, and once they're gone, they're gone. It's too bad nobody warned us...

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Dr. Seuss. (1971). The Lorax. New York, NY: Random House.

The Commission's view that the city must keep on keeping on is like accelerating your car toward a cliff and refusing to let up. And they're taking us along for the ride. But come on, times change, let's city plan like it's 2026, not 1995!

It Is We Who Decide the Law

The other strange thing about this peculiar nostalgia is that it ignores the law. The law has changed a lot since 1995. In fact, the law changed in 2025. But the Commission is inconsistent in how they view legal changes - they enforce some parts of new law but not others. The Commission for example ignores the City Code added last year that requires the City Council to consider the Comprehensive Plan and other non-Zoning Code matters in reviewing projects. It's an unusual commission, and quite a display of hubris, to enforce the laws that it likes and not enforce the laws it dislikes.

The changes in the law in 2025 specifically give the City more power and flexibility over development, and lets the City enforce Comprehensive Plan and flood requirements. It's a flexible tool to let the City address new challenges. Other cites have adopted these provisions for the same reason - and Minnesota courts have regularly allowed cities to reject developments that do not comply with Comprehensive Plans or other requirements.

But this flexibility is exactly what the Commission doesn't want - they pine for 1995. Make no mistake, the the proposed development is an affront to the Comprehensive Plan and the Commission should, under the law, recommend denial based on that. They didn't because they didn't want to - this was a political choice, not a legal or planning one.

The Cuyahoga River burns from dumped pollution. Keep on keeping on!

Our view is that it is dangerous to allow an unelected commission to decide the development future of Shorewood. It's worth noting that Commissioner Holker expressed her views at a time when residents could not respond - it was not a discussion but an edict.

Do Residents Matter At All?

We've talked to many residents, and the Commission has heard from many also, and the view of the Commission is definitely and defiantly out of step with the community (the only person in favor of the development was Jake Griffiths, the City Planner, a City employee, who made a long and passionate defense of the development, complete with a lengthy slide deck, all paid for by you, our taxpaying friends).

Fortunately, the Commission is only advisory, the City Council must decide. And that's why it's necessary for those of us who care to reach out to the City Council and let them know that our view of the future of Shorewood is not to be another cookie cutter suburb with no natural space.

We're going to find out if the City Council is Team Resident or Team Developer.

The issue today is Watten Ponds but the 2040 Plan has all other wooded and open spaces in Shorewood in the bullseye - Watten Ponds is today's fight but developers are coming for the rest of our natural assets, too.

If you care about the future of Shorewood, contact the City Council and see what you can do to help.

The opinions expressed in this article are opinions only, and represent the views of the contributor.