[media-credit name=’MATTHEW KUTZ/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]The City of Madison Plan Commission highlighted future city expansion and waste conservation with regard to Madison's ongoing comprehensive plan in a meeting Thursday night.

According to Michael Waidelich, principle planner for the city's Department of Planning and Development, the comprehensive plan covers the entire city and all aspects within, including water mains, electrical lines, sewer lines, roads and parks. However, it is difficult for city planners to be precise because the plan spans 25 years and because Madison is a large, complex area that has the potential to change, Waidelich added.

"Our plan can only be the tip of the iceberg," Waidelich said. "We can only use basic policy and overview to deal with potential changes in various areas of the city."

A look at the current comprehensive-plan maps stirred discussion on potential expansion plans for the city.

Waidelich said conflicting boundary plans with surrounding cities gave Madison only two directions for substantial growth.

"Madison's future is not east or west, and we cannot expand north or south," Waidelich said. "We are able to expand from the city's northeast and southeast corners."

According to Waidelich, Cottage Grove, Madison's eastward neighbor, already has a city plan that overlaps with Madison's. Brad Murphy, planning unit director for the city's Department of Planning and Development, said it would be in Madison's best interest to meet with surrounding city governments to work together on city planning near the boundaries.

"These intergovernmental agreements are the thing to do," Murphy said. "Even after [Madison's] plan is passed, we should try to pursue discussions with neighboring communities."

The plan commission raised concerns regarding recycling and general conservation as well. Public comments from the commission's Aug. 25 meeting spurred these concerns.

Ald. Lauren Cnare, District 3, said the plan commission would not be able to include a recycling requirement in the comprehensive plan, although the commission planned to add suggestions for reducing, reusing and recycling in the "Lifestyle" section of the plan.

"Conservation is a key theme in our community's future," Cnare said. "I think that it has to be acknowledged in the comprehensive plan."

The plan is still being tweaked, according to Murphy, who said it would not be finished by Sept. 15 as originally planned.

Waidelich said it was difficult to adhere the comprehensive plan to every other plan in Madison.

"There are just a ton of city plans the comprehensive plan must agree with," Waidelich said. "There's pedestrian plans, cycling plans and over 30 different neighborhood plans, just to name a few. City planners have to make sure that each of these plans is in agreement with the overall plan."

Waidelich also indicated that an arduous plan-approval process would contribute to the finalization delay.

"What makes it difficult is that we have to give 30 days' notice for a public hearing before we can take the final plan to Common Council," Waidelich said. "Plus, we only meet with the plan commission, who we depend on for approval, every two weeks, at best. This really limits our ability to finish the plan quickly."

Waidelich said the plan should be complete by late September or early October and will probably go to the Common Council in November.