COUNTY ZONING PLAN READY FOR PUBLIC REVIEW

JACKSON - After 18 months of preparation, a proposed zoning ordinance for Cape Girardeau County is ready for public review.

The 79-page document, drafted by the staff of the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission, was tentatively approved by the county planning commission.

To take effect the zoning plan ultimately must be approved by the Cape Girardeau County Commission after it conducts public hearings in each of the county's 10 townships.

Charles Engelhart, director of the planning department, said hearings would begin the week of Jan. 6 and will conclude around the first week of February.

The planning commission is compiled of members from each township. The commissioners are responsible for coordinating the meeting in the township they represent.

Engelhart said two hearings will be held each week, and a complete list of dates will be released near the middle of the month.

State law mandates the hearings, but Engelhart said the hearings give the public an opportunity to learn about the zoning plan and offer any suggestions or concerns that they have.

"The public hearings are to get citizen input and are quite important," he said. "You can't enforce any zoning ordinance without the support of the public."

Copies of the proposed zoning law are available at the planning office in the county's administration building in Jackson. Copies can be reviewed at the office or purchased for $6.

Zoning maps, which outline the seven types of zoning districts in the county, will be ready sometime next week, Engelhart said.

The zoning plan will apply to all unincorporated parts of the county.

The law will allow the county to charge fees for building permits to recover "administrative costs."

But Associate Commissioner Leonard Sander said those fees likely won't pay all the costs associated with the move toward zoning.

Engelhart now holds a part-time position, and he shares a secretary with the highway department. Under the new zoning plan, his job title becomes enforcement officer, and he'll have one or more assistants.

"A lot of these costs will depend on the economy and how much construction goes on in the county," said Sander. "It can become a very expensive operation.

Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep said, "I can't anticipate being able to stay with the status quo on personnel once we get this thing going. We knew going into this process that it wasn't going to be inexpensive."

The name of the county's planning commission will be changed to planning and zoning commission and there also will be a board of zoning adjustment. Both boards exist now, although their responsibilities will increase once zoning is put in place.

Sander and Huckstep said they would try to get rough costs nailed down as part of the budget process. If the hearings go well, the county commission likely will implement zoning by the spring.

The law outlines definitions for seven different zoning districts and lists permitted uses, non-permitted uses, and uses that require a conditional-use permit.

The various zoning designations include:

Community Development Districts, which recognize and protect established patterns of community development, including unincorporated towns or villages, or a concentration of homes or businesses.

Suburban Development Districts are areas where there are primarily single-family residences.

Residential Development Districts that protect areas that likely will be developed as residential.

Commercial Activity Districts, which are designated to protect and promote continued investment in commercial and office facilities that provide services to county residents.

Industrial Development Districts that set aside areas for the development of industrial facilities and other kinds of development not compatible with residential and commercial service developments.

Agricultural/Non-Urban Districts that protecting farm land and forestry areas from incompatible development. Throughout the process of zoning, Engelhart stressed there has been a sincere effort to protect areas of the county that are used for agricultural purposes.

Parks and Recreation Districts are to identify and protect public park land from the encroachment of any incompatible development.