Town of Shelby Comprehensive Plan

Table of Contents

1. Introduction and Summary of Findings 1-1

2. Housing 2-1

3. Transportation 3-1

4. Utilities and Community Facilities 4-1

5. Agricultural, Natural, and Cultural Resources 5-1

6. Economic Development 6-1

7. Intergovernmental Cooperation 7-1

8. Land Use 8-1

9. Implementation 9-1

List of Maps (Located in Appendix)

Regional Context 1.1

Road Network by Jurisdiction 3.1

Road Network by Type 3.2

Utilities 4.1

Community Facilities 4.2

Schools and School Districts 4.3

Soil Classifications by Capability 5.1

Agricultural Land Use 5.2

Environmental Features 5.3

Bluffland Protection Areas 5.4

Existing Land Use 8.1

Zoning 8.2

Development Constraints 8.3

Future Land Use 8.4

The Town of Shelby Comprehensive Plan has been developed to provide background and direction for a variety of land use decisions. Included in this plan are a variety of chapters, or elements, that provide baseline information and specific goals, objectives, and recommendations specific to each element. This plan should be used by the Plan Commission to make decisions about growth and development over the next 20-year period. Periodic updates are required to ensure this plan remains current over time. Specific requirements and procedures for use and maintenance of this plan are provided in the Implementation Element.

Elements of this plan include:

The Town of Shelby is an urban town with rural areas located in the southwest corner of La Crosse County. The City of La Crosse shares an irregular border, directly west of the Town. The Mississippi River borders the western edge of the Town, the Town of Greenfield is the eastern border, and Vernon County is the southern border. The towns of Medary and Barre border Shelby to the north.

While the area’s original inhabitants were Native Americans, Mormons settled in the mid 1800’s on what today is called Mormon Coulee and Mormon Creek. Following the Mormons, German and Swiss immigrants settled in the Town during the 1850’s and 1860’s, bringing with them great agricultural skill.

Agriculture has a long standing history in the Town, particularly along the Mormon Coulee where hay, oats, potatoes, and fruit trees have all been important crops over the past one hundred years. Productive agricultural land remains to this day, however, a majority of land within the Town is no longer utilized for agricultural purposes, giving way to a more urbanized environment.

The Town of Shelby was a growing area from the late 1950’s to 1980 with a population ranging from 7,000 to 8,000 during this period. More recently, annexation has reduced the Town’s population to 4,687 in 2000. Overall, the southern portion of La Crosse County slowed in population growth due to large-scale infrastructure improvements (primarily highways) in northern areas over the past two decades.

Today, Shelby can be described as an urbanized town with distinct urban, suburban, and rural areas. Rural and agricultural areas remain in the eastern portion of the Town near and adjacent to extreme topographical areas. The western portion of the Town contains a more urbanized landscape, especially in areas where it borders the City of La Crosse.

This section includes comparisons to other local and regional governments. They are included to provide a better understanding of the trends emerging locally and within the County or State. Comparables include:

The population of Shelby has fluctuated over the years. During the 1960’s, the population decreased by sixteen (16) percent, probably due to an annexation by the City of La Crosse. The population then rose again, only to experience an eleven percent drop during the 1980’s for the same reason. The most recent population estimates show that Shelby’s population decreased by six (6) percent during the 1990s. Projections from the Wisconsin DOA indicate that the population will remain stable. The DOA considers and monitors changes and patterns in fertility, mortality, and migration. DOA’s projections indicate modest growth in towns of Barre (+234 people) and Greenfield (+113 people).

According to the U.S. Census, conducted in 2000, the median age for the Town of Shelby is 41.9 years, which is higher than La Crosse County’s median age of 35.2 and the State’s median age of 36. The median age for males within the Town is 41.2, while females have a median age of 42.7. Table 2.2 outlines the Town’s population by age group. Nearly thirty percent (30%) of Town residents are under the age of 20, while an additional twenty-five percent (25%) are over age 55. Forty-five percent (45%) of the Town’s population falls between the ages of 25 and 55 years old.

A majority of Shelby residents are white. Residents of Asian descent comprise nearly two percent (2%) of the Town’s population, which makes them the second largest race population in the Town. The racial composition is similar to that of the County.

Table 1.4 depicts three measures of income for the Town and surrounding communities.

The Town of Shelby has no families that are living in poverty; however, one percent (1%) of individuals are living in poverty. This rate of poverty is low compared to surrounding Townships and the County. La Crosse County has over five percent (5%) of families and ten percent (10%) of individuals living in poverty.

This element provides a baseline assessment of Shelby’s current housing stock. Following these conditions analyses are a series of goals, objectives, and recommendations which have been developed to increase, enhance, or sustain the housing stock in the town.

Table 2.1 depicts the number of housing units within the Town of Shelby as tabulated by the U.S. Census in 2000. The table also outlines the percentage of housing units that are occupied by the home owner, the percentage of units that are rented, and the percentage of units that are vacant. In the Town, there are 1,646 housing units that are owner occupied, 125 units that are rental occupied, and 46 that are vacant. The Town of Shelby estimates that in 2006 there were 1,970 units.

Table 2.2 provides a detailed analysis of when housing units were constructed within the Towns of Shelby, Campbell, and Medary as well as La Crosse County. It is important to note that a large majority (72.4%) of the housing within the Town of Shelby was constructed prior to 1980.

Table 2.3 outlines the various number of units that are available within a housing structure. According the 2000 U.S. Census, in the Town of Shelby, single family detached homes are the most common type of housing. Mobile homes in Shelby are the second highest type of unit, with 6.4% of all units falling into this category, which is comparable to the Town of Medary (6.7%) and La Crosse County (6.1%) overall. More recent estimates by the Town indicate Shelby has 1,970 housing units, of which 277 (14%) are classified as mobile homes.

Table 2.4 outlines the values of owner occupied housing units within the Town of Shelby in 2000. During the time of enumeration, the median home value in the Town was $129,500. The Town’s housing unit median value was $33,500 higher than the County median home value. These data show greater than 60% of the housing units in the Town of Shelby are valued between $50,000 and $150,000.

The following tables depict how much residents in the Town of Shelby spend on housing. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) generally recommends that a person/family should spend no more than 30% of their income on housing costs, such as a mortgage or rent.

Nearly 50% of Shelby’s homeowners spend less than 15% of their income on home related expenses. Approximately 11% of owners pay more than 30% of their income towards housing expenses. Renters in the Town of Shelby tend to pay a higher percentage of their income on housing, as 23.6% of renters pay more than 30% of their income towards their housing costs.

A "household" is defined as an occupied housing unit. Table 7.7, below, outlines the average size of both households and families within the Town. It also identifies the percentage of households that consist of family (related by birth or marriage) versus non-family households. The average household in the Town of Shelby consists of 2.65 people, while the average family in the Town consists of 3 people. The majority, 96.8%, of households in the Town consist of related families.

The following household growth projections have been used to generate one set of future land use scenarios. These projections, prepared by the State Department of Administration are generally considered conservative growth projections. These figures are often lower than other growth projections as they are based, in part, on historical growth dating back several decades.

The State of Wisconsin’s Department of Health & Family Services keeps an inventory of assisted living facilities. While there are none listed for the Town of Shelby, nearby facilities in the City of La Crosse are numerous. Specifically, there exist two Adult Day Care programs for the advanced aged and developmentally disabled, 25 Adult Family Homes that provide habitation for the developmentally disabled, physically disabled, and emotionally disturbed or mentally ill, 19 Community Based Residential Facilities for the advanced aged, or alcohol/drug dependent, and four Residential Care Apartment complexes.

Goals and objectives identify what the plan should accomplish. Goals are statements that describe a desired future condition, often in general terms. Objectives are statements that describe a specific future condition to be attained, to reach the established goals.

Recommendations identify the action necessary to achieve goals and objectives. For this reason, recommendations should be actionable, attainable, and specific. Not all recommendations can be achieved in the short-term, so they should be specific enough so that any individual or group wishing to achieve a stated goal can take action.

The following goals, objectives, and recommendations were jointly developed by the Town of Shelby Land Use Planning Committee and its consultants.

Housing and Neighborhoods Goal: Allow for a range of housing choices and lot sizes that are consistent with the character and services available in the distinct urban, suburban, and rural portions of the Town.

Recommendations: