Planners review final draft of Clark County's comprehensive plan

Members of the Winchester-Clark County Planning Commission reviewed the Comprehensive Plan Update Committee’s final draft of the 2011 plan at Tuesday’s regular meeting and requested one change to the document regarding the facilities planning area.
Commissioners heard a presentation from Paul Culter of the Jacobs Advanced Planning Group in Cincinnati, a facilitator hired to assist with the plan update, and praised the work of the committee. The last plan update was in 2004, and the current committee began meeting July 2009. The plan will guide land use and zoning decisions for the next five years once the planning commission adopts it.
Culter detailed the drafting process, which included public forums and focus group meetings so the committee could hear from the local community.
“We gained input from groups such as agricultural and a real estate group. We wanted to open that part of the process to a lot of different people,” Culter said.
The committee hoped to create a plan that was more legible and to eliminate the inconsistencies of the 2004 plan. The new plan also includes updated census figures and policies, and committee members updated the land use map.
Culter highlighted some of the changes in Clark County’s demographics since 2004, according to the 2010 Census. Adults ages 60 and older is the fastest growing segment of the population. The number of farms increased, based on census and state definitions, although the acreage of those farms decreased. The majority of Clark County residents live outside the city limits, with 46 percent residing in the city.
New objectives include creating a committee to designate scenic corridors and expanding the parks and recreation services.
The committee removed two communities, Becknerville and Sewell Shop, from the list of crossroads communities.
Commissioners voted to remove references to the facilities planning area from the document, because the boundary includes the areas that Winchester Municipal Utilities can provide sewer and water service to currently, as well as the areas it expects to reach in the next 20 years.
Doug Christopher said that because the plan is only intended for five years, the facilities planning area could create confusion and make it more difficult for future commission members to make decisions.
Culter will present a revised version of the plan at the October meeting. The public is invited to attend.
The plan must be formally adopted by the commission before it replaces the 2004 plan.
A preliminary development plan for Heritage Baptist Church also was approved. The plan calls for a 4,000-square-foot sanctuary on Lexington Road. Director of Planning and Development Rhonda Cromer said the development plan is in agreement with the Comprehensive Plan and the zoning ordinance. Church representative Frank Johnson said the sanctuary will hold approximately 400 people.

Contact Rachel Parsons at rparsons@winchester-sun.com.