Caledonia Town Chair Susan Greenfield has been chosen as this year’s Policy Maker of the Year for her efforts to preserve the town’s rural character. Working hand-in-hand with developers, town officials, citizens, and environmental consultants, Susan Greenfield spearheaded a conservation subdivision ordinance. Three years in the making, this law requires every subdivision to contain up to 60% open space. These open spaces are then covered by conservation easements to preserve and restore environmental areas. Caledonia is now developing neighborhood plans for each area of the Town to connect trails and natural areas between subdivisions in order to build communities instead of disconnected subdivisions. Neighboring towns are watching Caledonia closely, and it appears that the conservation subdivision ordinance will become a model for other Wisconsin communities.
Susan has been very active supporting and implementing environmental and land use protection policies. From water quality to air quality concerns, Susan is there with an open mind and ready to share her knowledge as well as proactive concepts with her community and others. Susan has worked with the development community and has been able to put water protection and natural resource protection at the forefront of the development process instead of an after thought. Including land management plans for the management of natural areas set aside in a development is now a part of the process!
~ Kristen Wilhelm, Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy
Understanding that Caledonia and a few areas of Racine and Kenosha counties are the last bastion of open space between the metropolis of Chicago and Milwaukee, the very success of Susan Greenfield’s vision is proof that a change of focus from only develop to development with conservation is a viable option for communities in Wisconsin.
~ Nancy Pierce, Caledonia Conservancy
