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County Residents Voice Preference Re: County Growth Plans

    Lake County has been seeking public input as it develops its Comprehensive Plan 2050.  After three public meetings and with over a year to go in the process that will create a document that will govern county development for decades, clear sentiments are being expressed.
    During a presentation at Tuesday's meeting of the Lake County Commission, commissioners heard a report on Phase I of the comprehensive plan development process.  Including public input meetings around the county as well as an online survey, the collected input and associated data indicate Lake Countians want to manage growth, increase preservation, better roads, and protected water quality.
    Over 1,500 people responded to a survey requesting a wide range of input, with presenters on Tuesday describing ‘intensity’ and ‘passion’ among respondents.  Residents responding to surveys and attending meetings oppose dense development, want development nearer existing population centers and roads, and want to see green space and wildlife protected. 
    Words like ‘congestion’, ‘crowded,’ and ‘growing’ were most used by residents describing the county, and they used words like ‘conservation’ and ‘parks’ when asked about what they wanted to see going forward.
    With most respondents being over 45 years of age, commissioners pressed for more work to be done engaging younger county residents. Those will be the people living under the new comprehensive plan.
    "This is their future," said commissioner Kirby Smith while asking for a greater reach out to today's high school and college students to gauge what is most important to them.  "We need to go to them.  They aren't going to come to us."
    The idea of developing near existing population centers led to a reminder from commissioners that the county has no power to regulate what cities do as far as zoning and housing density. 
    "We are doing everything we can to keep rural areas rural," Smith said.
    Citing current state law that has limited counties ability to impact growth via local decisions, commissioner Anthony Sabatini raised the question asking if the county should pause the comp plan process until future law becomes more clear. 
    Citing the concern that the county could 'end up with a document we can't implement, ' Sabatini said by pausing the process until after the next legislative session, the county may have a clearer vision of what can actually be in an enforceable comprehensive plan.
    “I don’t want to slow the process,” Sabatini said, “But I think we should.”
    Commissioners agreed with Sabatini’s concern, but decided to press on, in part to have a document close to finished should changes be made next year. 
    Next up will be more public input this coming November, as the county moves toward a plan adoption sometime next summer or fall.