Opinion ID: 6496687
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Land Swap Decision

Text: ¶4 Kohler-Andrae State Park (the Park), located on the Lake Michigan shoreline in Sheboygan County, borders private land owned by Kohler. In 2014, Kohler revealed plans to build an 18-hole golf course, which has since become the subject of numerous lawsuits, including this one.5 In June 2017, the Department initiated a master planning process to consider See Friends of the Black River Forest v. DNR, 2021 WI App 5 54, 964 N.W.2d 342; Kohler Co. v. DNR, No. 2021AP1187 (Wis. Ct. App., Filed July 12, 2021); Friends of the Black River Forest v. DNR, No. 2019CV000080 (Wis. Cir. Ct. Sheboygan Cnty., Filed Feb. 8, 2019). 4 No. 2019AP299 & 2019AP534 Kohler's request to use Park land for the proposed golf course. As part of this process, on February 16, 2018 the Department recommended a land exchange agreement with Kohler, seeking approvals from both the Board and the governor. ¶5 At its next meeting later that month and following public comment, the Board first determined that a 4.59-acre parcel of upland woodland within the Park was not being used for any park functions and was no longer needed for the state's use for conservation purposes and therefore removed it from Park boundaries. The Board next approved an agreement between the Department and Kohler for a land exchange, under which the Department would transfer the 4.59 acres to Kohler, in addition to a 1.88-acre easement, in exchange for 9.5 acres of Kohler land——including upland woodland, crop land, and a building—— straddling the boundary of the Park. Kohler planned to use the 4.59 acres for a maintenance facility and parking area, and the easement for public access to the golf course. The agreement required [r]estrictions placed on the deed transferring title to Kohler in order to ensure that the transferred land is adequately landscaped and screened, that its use will not compromise park aesthetics, and that its proposed future use will be compatible with adjacent park uses. B. The Friends' Amended Petition and Circuit Court Proceedings ¶6 The Friends filed a Wis. Stat. ch. 227 petition in Sheboygan County Circuit Court seeking review of the Board's February 28, 2018 vote to convey 4.89 acres of land within Kohler-Andrae State Park to Kohler Co., as well as a 1.88 acre 5 No. 2019AP299 & 2019AP534 easement.6 Kohler intervened and filed a motion to dismiss under Wis. Stat. § 227.56(3), arguing that the Friends were not an aggrieved party because, as relevant here, they failed to satisfy both the injury in fact and zone of interest prongs of the test for Chapter 227 standing. The Friends filed an Amended Petition, identifying the following alleged injuries from the land exchange: 24. Petitioners are aggrieved by the Respondents' decisions to approve the land transaction. The Respondents' decision permanently eliminates Petitioners' opportunity to use land within Kohler Andrae State Park currently available to the public for recreation and enjoyment, which members of FBRF such as Ms. Felde and Ms. Bricks have used and enjoyed previously, and would continue to use and enjoy but for Respondents' decision. 25. The Respondents' decision will also reduce habitat for and populations of plants, birds, and animals that are currently enjoyed by FBRF members such as Ms. Felde, as well as Ms. Bricks, harming their ability to observe wildlife and study nature in and around the park. 26. The Respondents' decision will impact and reduce enjoyment of other resources used by FBRF members such as Ms. Felde, as well as Ms. Bricks, including areas of the park adjacent to the proposed road and maintenance facility. Construction of Kohler Co.'s facility will harm the aesthetics of these adjacent 6 The Friends also filed a common law certiorari action in Dane County Circuit Court against the Board, challenging the same land swap decision. Kohler and the Board moved to dismiss. The Dane County Circuit Court dismissed the complaint under Wis. Stat. § 802.06(2)(a)10. This case was consolidated with the Sheboygan County case on appeal, and the court of appeals reversed and remanded the Dane County Circuit Court's decision, concluding it erred in dismissing the complaint. Friends of the Black River Forest, Nos. 2019AP299 & 2019AP534, at ¶3. 6 No. 2019AP299 & 2019AP534 areas and impair Petitioners' use and enjoyment of the areas for recreation and conservation. 27. FBRF and its members, including Ms. Felde and Ms. Bricks, will be affected by increased traffic and noise caused in and around the park by the Respondents' decision, as Kohler Co.'s project is constructed and operated. 28. FBRF and its members, including Ms. Felde and Ms. Bricks, are also interested in the Respondents following required procedures for state park planning that ensure uses in the park are properly classified to avoid user conflicts and preserve recreational and scenic qualities, and are aggrieved by the Respondents' decision to follow procedures in this case. ¶7 The Sheboygan County Circuit Court determined the Friends lacked standing because the alleged injuries did not flow directly from the land swap decision and accordingly granted Kohler's motion to dismiss. Reasoning that [t]he land swap agreement does not clear the way for the immediate construction of the proposed golf course or any other structures, the circuit court concluded the Friends failed to meet the first element of the two-part test establishing that they were aggrieved because none of the alleged injuries were a direct consequence of the land transfer. Consequently, the court did not address the zone of interests element of the standing analysis. C. The Court of Appeals' Decision