YOU ARE HERE: Central Kentucky Home→Collections→Winchester

Local plan for growth could see big changes

March 27, 2008|Katheran Wasson

The Winchester-Clark County Comprehensive Plan, a document designed to guide growth and development for the next five years, could look significantly different after members of the community and planning commission review it next year.

Commissioners brainstormed possible changes this week, including reorganization of the planning document and division of the county map into geographic sectors.

The sectors could act as "mini-plans," and the planning commission could review a different one each year, said Deborah Bruckman, director of planning and community development.

"It keeps us updating the comprehensive plan," Bruckman said. "It keeps us constantly growing it."

Bruckman also suggested evaluating agricultural land, environmental and natural resources, and watersheds, but she said it will be up to the Planning Commission to determine which direction to go with the update.

The planning office will likely have to hire a consultant to assist in the process, she said. The state requires that local governments evaluate the plan every five years, but changes aren't mandated.

Planning Commission Chairman Larry Disney said he hasn't heard any community dissent over the current plan, but there is still opportunity to improve it even if there aren't major changes.

"It has not become an issue," he said. "So I would ask, 'How could we better what we have now?'"

Bruckman said it will be essential to form a committee of community members to review the plan.

"You can't do a comprehensive plan update without involving the citizens at some point," she said.

Disney said getting high school students involved could also help in long-range planning by discussing the reasons they want to leave or stay in Winchester after graduation.

"We have an opportunity to do some good and to make it (the plan) meaningful," Disney said. "I don't know if we've ever sold the comprehensive plan to the public."

|

|

|