THE PUBLIC MIND: YES VOTE FOR ZONING WOULD HELP GUARANTEE PROGRESS IN COUNTY

Dear Editor:

An unfortunate final paragraph and a mistaken caption, "County Planning Commission offers reason for the passage of zoning measure," obscured the central point of Gene Peterman's excellent letter (Monday, Oct. 26) urging a Yes vote on the question, "Shall County Planning and Zoning be Continued?"

There is no zoning measure on the ballot. The question on the ballot is an initiative to repeal the authority for planning and zoning voted in 1972. Since they are based on that authority, the initiative asks us to throw out all the measures adopted by the County Commission to contribute to an orderly development of our county. As Mr. Peterman wrote:

"If Planning and Zoning is not continued, all goes. The Master Plan goes. The Land Subdivision and Mobile Home Park Regulation goes. The Setback Regulations Goes. Zoning goes. Then we will be where we were in 1972 before the voters approved Planning and Zoning."

Zoning, of course, does not go. It has not yet come. What goes is the authority to pass a zoning ordinance and everything else. That is how we get back to where we were in 1972.

Since opponents of the proposed zoning ordinance admit in public statements that we need some kind of county planning and zoning, what is the purpose of the initiative? I believe it is fair to say directly what Mr. Peterman said indirectly: "It seems almost as if someone wants to defeat planning and zoning to get rid of the regulations for building a good subdivision." There are land developers in our county who have sought the quick buck by ignoring or defying the regulations of our planning and county commissioners. They are the chief supporters of the initiative because orderly and regulated development is inconsistent with their mode of operations.

Such developers do not represent progress for Cape Girardeau County. So voters beware. Vote for the progress which has carried our county from 1972 to 1992. Vote Yes on planning and zoning.

Sincerely,

Gary McDowell