Boone County government is “almost begging” residents to get involved in the planning and zoning process, but Chet Hand, a candidate for the Boone County Commission, said the county needs to work on its transparency.
“What I’ve found here, talking to a lot of the property owners in Boone County, is that they’re not aware of the timing of the process,” Hand said, speaking to the fiscal court during a recent meeting. “So, what you’re saying about people that showed up today, concerned about things and that it’s a little bit late is correct. But what more people aren’t aware of is that they need to be involved in the process five, 10, 15 years in advance.”
Hand’s comments came after a handful of local residents raised questions about a proposed development to build 158 homes on 81 acres near Union, at Hathaway Road, Old Union Road and Spruce Lane. Residents asked about how the developer was permitted to build up to two homes per acre and the subdivision’s traffic management plan for cars headed to the nearby Ballyshannon Middle School. Other residents offered suggestions for the land use and its preservation.
The members of the fiscal court informed residents that up to four homes per acre were permitted in Boone County on land designated in the county’s comprehensive plan, which is published every five years. Previous plans are also archived and made available at Boone County Public Library locations.
The county is in the process of updating the comprehensive plan now — an open house was held for the public to share their opinion on May 25.
The developer, a representative from Arlinghaus LLC, said talks with the family that owns the acreage requested no more than two homes per acre, and the developer is now bound by contract to that agreement.
Judge/Executive Gary Moore said the planning process that designates open space in the county for certain types of development, be it commercial, residential or mixed use, happens years in advance of a developer actually coming to the planning and zoning commission with a request.
“We get frustrated many times when (the planning and zoning commission) have their public workshops during the comprehensive plan update and 20 people show up, or maybe nobody shows up,” Moore said.
He added that some of the suggestions offered during the meeting “need to be incorporated into the comprehensive plan. It is the roadmap that guides the planning commission and that eventually gets to us.”
It’s not the first time in recent meetings that Moore has issued a reminder that speaking in opposition to developments or offering opinions on land use at fiscal court meetings comes at the tail end of the process, and does little for those who want their comments to make a difference.
Residents Dennis and Michelle Kelley spoke at a court meeting in April in opposition to further development near their Richwood Road home, which is near the future site of a 33-acre assisted living neighborhood. Moore and the court listened to their comments before saying there was little that could be done now. He issued a similar message in Tuesday’s meeting.
“We need people to come to the public meetings, we need them to make public comments that then can be used and incorporated into the plan. We do this all the time, where we’re almost begging people to come and do this, not after the fact,” Moore said.
Moore suggested the planning commission may be invited to a future fiscal court meeting to describe the process to the public.
That’s when Hand stood up and addressed the court. He said what the county currently does to inform residents isn’t enough.
“If it’s a concern for the fiscal court and planning and zoning that people have meaningful input in the process, it would behoove the county to inform people in certain areas much farther in advance that they need to have input,” Hand said. “A little white sign on the side of the road, things like that … is not sufficient.”
He added that it needs to be made clear to “the average property owner” what properties are up for discussion and “here are the times when you actually need to show up and provide your input– five, 10, 15 years in advance.”
Moore agreed with Hand, and repeated his suggestion to bring the planning commission to a court meeting to address the public.
Greater transparency in the planning and zoning process is something Hand campaigned on in the 2022 Republican Primary, where he beat sitting Commissioner Charlie Kenner for the District 2 seat. He now runs unopposed for the General Election.
As for the new Arlinghaus subdivision, representatives reassured residents that they aren’t going to “build 158 homes tomorrow.” They said it takes “a long time” to fill out those subdivisions, estimating around 20 homes are built in a year in similar neighborhoods.
The second reading for the ordinance permitting Arlinghaus’s development will be on Tuesday, July 12, at 5:30 p.m. in the Boone County Administration Building.