Woodbury's fast-paced development has pushed residential neighbors up to the boundaries of the few remaining farms in the city. The result is large portions of open space inside the city's boundary's are off limits to building for up to 20 years. Woodbury Development Director Dwight Picha says the goal is limits to permits issued for new houses to around 600 a year. Picha says the decision to slow housing developing comes from two years of study by citizens and elected officials. Woodbury's population doubled in the l980s to 20,000 people and more than doubled again this past decade to 46,000 residents.
Houses dot thousands of acres of gently rolling land once tilled by farmers.
Wayne and his wife, Betty Schilling, a Methodist minister, enjoy life on their 80-cow dairy farm along Woodbury's southern boundary and have no intention of quitting any time soon. But when they do, Wayne is counting on selling land to finance retirement. But Woodbury's plan puts off for 18 years any development in the area where Wayne Schilling farms. The city's staged-development plan appears to guarantee the Schillings will be able to continue farming. But already a school, an athletic facility and projected road widening have or will take land the Schillings rent to raise crops.