The Athens County Regional Planning Commission will start drafting a comprehensive plan next year to replace one created in 1989.
The plan would look at population, economic development, cultural resources, housing and land uses, natural resources and community facilities, said Bob Eichenberg, Athens County planning director.
The draft also would consider the county's growth since the last plan, which has been fair, County Commissioner Lenny Eliason said.
We hadn't done it in a while and thought it is time to take a look at it
he said. It is an ongoing process and we should probably take a look at it on a regular basis.
The plan will be a general guide for the county government and its interactions with other governments, Eichenberg said. It also will examine existing land use regulations and suggest changes, such as for areas in the county without sewer lines.
Writing the plan will cost $25,000, and investigations needed to write the plan will begin next year, Eichenberg said.
I presented a fairly low-cost way to do it working with the Ohio State University Cooperative Extension Office
which will organize meetings and media contacts and help prepare drafts of the plan, he said.
A task force of county residents appointed by the commissioners will make decisions about what goes into the plan. The task force then will appoint additional members to sit on committees for each element of the plan. It will take the task force about two years to put the plan together, including surveying land, drawing maps and gathering more information.
Albany Mayor Gary Warner said the plan will help manage growth in the area surrounding Albany, which is controlled by Athens County.
Any kind of managed growth is good because if you do it helter-skelter
you will have problems down the road
Warner said. Officials said they hope the plan will assist the county health department in ensuring the safety of sanitation conditions for rural homes, department administrator Chuck Hammer said. The department is responsible for ensuring waste is removed and water is provided in a sanitary manner.
Athens County Engineer Archie Stanley said he doesn't think the new regional plan will change how his department works, but said he wasn't sure because the plan has not yet been written. Because his department works well with the Athens County regional planning director, Stanley is sure that he will be able to look at the plan before it goes into effect, he said.
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Andrea Golby
