Between a Lake and a Hard Place

Decade-old Arboretum dispute shows conflicting interests in environment

An out-of-town real estate developer arrives in a beautiful, fragile ecosystem ready to tear up land and build mansions. The neighbors, frightened not only for the good of their neighborhood but for the principle of protecting their homeland, band together to fight off the developer.

At first glance, the 2006 development dispute in the town of Madison’s unique Arboretum Neighborhood fits this storyline, potential fodder for Pixar’s next feature. But any movie about the issue would quickly be bogged down in bureaucratic see-sawing and caught in heated rhetoric from both sides, who each saw themselves as the best choice for the good of the environment.

The conflict started when Darren Kittleson, a real estate developer from the city of Madison, bought land in the Arboretum Neighborhood, just south of the University of Wisconsin campus, intending to demolish existing properties and build two new homes....

   ...more

Ken Notes: Good read...