LA CROSSE PUBLIC LIBRARY ARCHIVES
800 Main Street
La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601-4122
(608) 789-7136
archives@lacrosse.lib.wi.us

 

La Crosse
Series
36


LA CROSSE (WIS.). CITY PLANNING DEPT. PLANNING DEPT. RECORDS, 1952-1996 (BULK 1967-1990).  7.4 cubic ft. (19 archives boxes) 


Abstract

The city’s Planning Dept. undertakes studies and assessments of the economic, housing, employment, and transportation needs of the La Crosse urban community, and strives to improve the quality of life in the city of La Crosse by using comprehensive planning approaches, and applying for project funding.

This series consists of City of La Crosse Planning Dept. inactive files organized by major topics, including a subject file of more miscellaneous topics. The major topic groups are capital improvement program budgets, capital improvement projects, economy/marketing, health, housing, Park & Recreation Dept., transportation, and general subject files. Materials from the La Crosse Area Planning Committee are scattered throughout the series.

The housing series includes Community Development Block Grants, Redevelopment Authority, Harborview downtown redevelopment project, housing rehabilitation, housing surveys and public (low income) housing.

The transportation series is the most voluminous and includes federal and state transportation programs and financial aid. A highways subseries consists of various proposed north-south corridors through the city of La Crosse since 1967. La Crosse Area Transportation Study files (1966-1974) and the TOPICS program (Traffic Operations Program to Increase Capacity and Safety in Wisconsin) (1967-1970) are also found here.

Acc. No. 1998-13

Transferred by Larry Kirch, City Planner, Dec. 1998.

Processed by Anita Taylor Doering, June 1999.


Scope and Content

This series consists of City of La Crosse Planning Dept. inactive files organized by major topics, including a subject file of more miscellaneous topics. The major topic groups are CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, ECONOMY/MARKETING, HEALTH, HOUSING, PARK & RECREATION DEPT., TRANSPORTATION, and SUBJECT FILES.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM BUDGETS series (1952-1982) is comprised of budgets approved by the Common Council not just for Planning Dept. projects, but across all city departments. Also budgets submitted by the La Crosse Area Planning Committee (for the La Crosse Urban Area) are included here.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS include street improvements, Harborview redevelopment, Municipal Service Center, Valley View Mall, and flood projects undertaken by the city from 1967-1983.

The ECONOMY/MARKETING series (1966-1995) includes Downtown La Crosse Business Assoc., economic base studies, employment, “Forward Wisconsin” marketing grant, minority business enterprise, and retail sales.

The HEALTH series includes the city Health Dept., Community Care Organization, La Crosse Committee on Aging, La Crosse County Comprehensive Health Planning Organization, and Western Wisconsin Health Planning Organization. These files date from 1967-1980.

HOUSING includes Community Development Committee (Community Development Block Grants), Community Housing Resource Board (Fair Housing), housing rehabilitation (not associated with the Block Grants), housing survey, La Crosse Area Planning Committee’s housing studies, 701 planning assistance, public housing (mainly the Schuh-Mullin project), and the Redevelopment Authority. This series dates from 1967-1990.

The PARK & RECREATION DEPT. series consists of files associated with various parks and park projects, including Bluffview, Copeland, Hixon Forest, Myrick Park, North Side Beach (Black River Beach), Pettibone Island and Weigent Park. Other topics located here include the La Crosse Country Club, LAWCON funding (Land & Water Conservation Act), land ownership transfer of Memorial Field to the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, the Myrick marsh RABBIT trail system, Open Space program, Park & Recreation La Crosse urban area inventory and analysis, and miscellaneous. These files date from 1962-1996.

TRANSPORTATION is a large topic and includes federal and state transportation programs and financial aid. Highways include the proposed north-south corridors since 1967 under various names: La Crosse freeway (1968-1974), and Bicentennial highway (1975-1981). The most recent proposals (1997-1998) that led to a referendum are not included in this series. La Crosse Area Transportation Study files (1966-1974) are included here and consist of general files, Unified Work Program, and working documents. National Transportation Study files (1971-1974)include general documents for the La Crosse area, a 1971 and 1973 report, and the work program. Finally the TOPICS program (Traffic Operations Program to Increase Capacity and Safety in Wisconsin) (1967-1970) includes general and committee materials, intersection projects and a report. The intersections improved were Losey Blvd. & State Road, and West Ave. & Main St. Photographs of the many intersections under consideration also are included.

Finally the general SUBJECT FILES include a wide range of topics, such as civil defense and a community shelter plan, zoning and housing codes, Community Improvement Committee (a citizen committee), computers and data processing, consultants, energy, La Crosse Area Planning Commission subcommittees, La Crosse Citizen’s Study Committee on Metropolitan Problems, La Crosse Improvement Corp., landfill (solid waste), Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission, and pollution. These files generally date from 1957-1989.


Container List

 

Box

Folder

 

 

 

CITY PLANNING DEPT. PLANNING DEPT. RECORDS, 1952-1996.

 

 

 

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM BUDGETS

 

 

Budgets,

1

6

 

1952-1974/1978

2

1-4

 

1975-1978/1982

 

5

 

La Crosse Area Planning Committee (La Crosse Urban Area), 1972-1982

 

 

 

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

 

6

Clinton Street bridge, 1976-1980

 

7

Funk Road, 1971-1973

 

8

Harborview, 1967-1983

 

 

 

(see also Housing-Redevelopment Authority)

 

9

Industrial Park, 1968

3

1-2

Lang Drive (S.T.H. 35), 1972-1981

 

3-5

Municipal Service Center, 1968-1977

4

1-3

State Road/Ebner Coulee/Pammel Creek flood control project, 1967-1990

 

4

Valley View Mall/Dayton-Hudson, 1976-1981

 

5

West Avenue reconstruction, 1978-1984

 

 

 

ECONOMY/MARKETING

5

1-3

Downtown La Crosse Business Association, 1978-1996

 

4-5

Economic Base Studies, 1975-1989

 

6

Employment, 1973-1983

 

7

Grant “Forward Wisconsin”, 1994-1995 (regional marketing of industrial park)

6

1

Minority Business Enterprise, 1981-1989

 

2

Retail sales, 1966-1974

 

 

 

HEALTH

7

1

City Health Dept., 1967-1973

 

2-3

Community Care Organization, 1974-1980

 

4

La Crosse Committee on Aging, 1967-1977

 

5

La Crosse County Comprehensive Health Planning Organization, 1972-1973

 

6

Western Wisconsin Health Planning Organization, 1972-1975

 

 

 

HOUSING

8

1

Community Development Committee, 1974-1976

 

 

 

[Community Development Block Grant]

 

2

Community Housing Resource Board, 1977-1985

 

 

 

[Fair Housing]

 

3

Housing rehabilitation, 1978-1989

 

 

 

[not Community Development Block Grants]

 

4

Housing survey, 1970-1987

 

5

La Crosse Area Planning Committee--Housing studies, 1971-1974

 

6

701 Planning Assistance, 1972-1980

9

1

Public housing (low income), 1968-1971

 

 

 

[mainly the Schuh-Mullin project]

 

2-3

Redevelopment Authority, 1967-1990

 

 

 

PARK & RECREATION DEPT.

10

1

Bluffview Park, 1971

 

 

 

[Recreation Aid Program, 28th & Jackson]

 

2

Copeland Park, 1980-1988

 

3

Hixon Forest, 1962-1996

 

4

La Crosse Country Club, 1981-1984

 

5

LAWCON funding, 1969-1984

 

 

 

[Land & Water Conservation Act]

 

6

Memorial Field to UW-L, 1972-1982

 

7

Myrick Marsh RABBIT trail system, 1975

 

8

Myrick Park, 1976

 

9

North Side Beach, 1966-1981

 

 

 

[Black River Beach]

 

10

Open Space program, 1970-1973

 

11

Park & Recreation La Crosse Urban Area inventory & analysis, 1969-1972

 

12

Pettibone Island, 1969-1970

 

13-14

Weigent Park, 1967-1978 [Old Central High School site]

 

15

Miscellaneous

 

 

 

TRANSPORTATION

11

1-5

Federal Aid--Urban System, 1971-1994

 

6

Go Coulee Region, 1983-1984

 

 

Highways

12

1

 

Local and arterial, 1986-1987

 

 

 

Proposed north-south corridors

 

2

 

 

Bicentennial highway, 1975-1981

 

3

 

 

I-90 to Holmen and STH 93, 1975-1987 [part of this became rerouted USH 53]

 

4

 

La Crosse freeway, 1968-1974

 

 

La Crosse Area Transportation Study

13

1-4

 

General files, 1966-1970

 

5-6

 

Unified Work Program, 1972-1974

 

7

 

Working documents, 1966-1968

 

 

National Transportation Study

14

1

 

General documents (La Crosse area), 1972-1974

 

2

 

Report, 1971

 

3

 

Report, 1973

 

4

 

Work program, 1972

 

 

TOPICS Program (Traffic Operations Program to Increase Capacity and Safety in Wisconsin)

 

5

 

General and committee materials, 1967-1974

 

 

 

Projects

 

6

 

 

Losey Blvd. & State Rd., 1969-1975

 

7

 

 

West Ave. & Main St., 1969-1972

 

8

 

Report, 1970

 

9

WisDot Secretary’s Select Committee on Mass Transit, 1987

 

 

 

SUBJECT FILES

15

1

City hall safety, 1969-1970

 

2-3

Civil Defense--Community Shelter Plan, 1970-1972

 

 

Codes & Ordinances

 

4

 

La Crosse area/not city, 1964-1972

 

5

 

La Crosse city subdivision zoning & regulations, 1957-1983

 

 

Community Improvement Committee (citizens’ committee)

16

1

 

General files, 1967-1970

 

2

 

Dramatic Arts subcommittee, 1968-1970

 

3

 

Housing subcommittee, 1968

 

4-6

 

Workable program, 1964-1972

 

 

Computers

 

7-10

 

La Crosse Governmental Cooperative Data Processing Committee, 1973-1981

 

 

 

La Crosse Land Use Data Bank

17

1

 

 

General files, 1971-1973

 

2

 

 

Report, 1973

 

 

Consultants

 

3

 

Candeub, Fleissig & Assoc., 1971-1977

 

4

 

Donohue & Assoc., 1970-1971

 

 

Energy

 

5

 

General files, 1980-1985

 

6

 

Hydropower/Mitchell Energy Co., 1981

 

7

 

Resource recovery/Energy Recovery Inc., 1983

 

8

La Crosse Area Planning Commission Subcommittees, 1974-1975

 

9

La Crosse Citizens’ Study Committee on Metropolitan Problems, 1971-1972

18

1

La Crosse Improvement Corp., 1968-1972

 

2

Landfill (solid waste), 1969-1977

 

3-5

Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission, 1971-1979

 

 

Pollution

 

6

 

Air, 1971-1991

19

1

 

Noise, 1971-1989

 

2

 

Water, 1970-1986

 

3

Speeches by City Planner Ron Bracegirdle, 1966-1985

 

4

Miscellaneous, 1967-1972