There’s just one more joint meeting set between the county commission and its planning board before the new plan will be released next month.
At a county commission meeting this week, Planning Director Rebekah Roth presented on its goal areas, which are focused on infrastructure, quality of place, and environmental stewardship and resilience.
Roth said these ideas are all reflected in the new proposal: "It focuses on residential infill in line with existing neighborhood character, commercial corridors that serve nearby residents, and a focus on master planning of large parcels to reduce the amount of piecemeal development that makes it more difficult to understand and mitigate their impacts on the community.”
Commissioners commended Roth for her and her staff's work on the plan. Democratic Commissioner Stephanie Walker asked about stormwater and electricity planning, and Democratic Commissioner Rob Zapple noted the "quality of place" goal area.
"Particularly thank you for focus on protecting our quality of life," Zapple said. "A uniting theme throughout is the concept of public transportation, which is something that is necessary for the success of a lot of this."
Republican Commissioner Dane Scalise said his top priority is conservation and green space, and said he expects his colleagues on the board agree. "And at the same time, of course, setting up some fair rules that people can look to and understand that if I play by these rules, there is an expectation that I will be able to move forward with a smart development project."
One major change is a new zoning type called “resilient mixed use.” The map depicting it includes land that was originally designated as “mixed use” as well as conservation land in the north end of the county, near Porter’s Neck. It would allow walkable developments with both residential and commercial, designed to reduce flood risk.
There's also a new zoning type called "Corridor Commercial," which allows moderate development along major roadways and high density at nodes. And a third new zoning type is "Infill Residential," which aims to bring lower-density housing within and near existing neighborhoods. Maps show this zoning type across large swaths of the county.
With county commission approval, planning staff will now move towards publishing their draft plans. The public will have a chance to review and comment on them before they go to a vote at the planning board in January.
Disclosure notice: Commissioner Rob Zapple is a member of the WHQR Board of Directors, which has no say over editorial content or news coverage.
