Subdivision rules not an attempt to impose countywide zoning, committee says

The first draft of a proposal to regulate subdivisions in rural parts of Cape Girardeau County is finished, but the leader of the panel writing the rules has a message -- it will not be an attempt to impose zoning on the county.

Mary Miller, chairwoman of the Jackson Planning and Zoning Commission, started Monday evening's meeting of a joint Jackson-Cape Girardeau Subdivision Advisory Committee by talking about what the regulations would do and, perhaps more important politically, what they would not do.

"We are not interested in zoning," Miller said during the 90-minute meeting at the Osage Community Centre. "What we want to have is organized growth that protects property values."

Cape Girardeau and Jackson agreed in October to form the committee. In the six months since, the subcommittee has had several meetings, and on Monday the first draft was presented. Its 16 pages include rules on street widths and materials, requirements for water and sewer and instructions on what would be needed for a new subdivision to be allowed.

But many other aspects of zoning -- lot sizes, the use of adjoining land for widely varying purposes and the size and types of buildings allowed on a particular lot -- are not addressed. Instead, Miller said, the goal is to make sure new subdivisions, when annexed, do not become a financial burden to the cities.

Cape Girardeau County voters by a wide margin in 2000 defeated a proposal to impose planning and zoning countywide. While Jackson and Cape Girardeau can have meetings and write rules, whether the subdivision rules ever become law will be up to county voters. The Cape Girardeau County Commission would have to ask if voters want to create a planning commission. If they say yes, then the commission could review and adopt the rules being discussed Monday.

"This is showing the county what they could adopt if they wanted," said Martha Brown of the Cape Girardeau Planning Services office.

Both cities have dealt with annexing subdivisions that do not meet city standards. Jackson has adopted an ordinance requiring that developers make improvements to be admitted, city planner Janet Sanders said, but it has never been tested.

The result can be angry people, especially those who bought homes expecting that they would soon be included within city limits, Sanders said.

Charlie Haubold, a member of the Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission, said having common rules for Cape Girardeau, Jackson and the county areas would make planning construction easier for developers. But he, too, wanted to make sure that the draft sticks closely to regulating the costly aspects of subpar development.

"We started out on infrastructure, and that is where it needs to be," he said.

A countywide vote is at least a year off because of the need to work on the draft and then build support for the idea, Miller said.

The committee will meet next at 5:30 p.m. May 4 at Jackson City Hall.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent addresses:

1625 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

101 Court St., Jackson, Mo.