VOTERS SHOULD APPROVE ZONING ISSUE IN COUNTY

The zoning issue that Cape Girardeau County voters will consider on Nov. 3 has a sense of deja vu about it ... and that is the problem. Twenty years ago, voters consid~ered the issue of county planning and gave their approval. As the moment of full implementation of this plan has come around, some now want to overturn what earlier voters had approved. We find their reasoning inadequate and believe citizens should vote to sustain county zoning.

The most recent census demonstrates a need for some foresight in the development of unincorporated areas of Cape Girardeau County. In the city of Cape Girardeau, the largest municipality in the county, the population showed only a 77 person increase from the previous census. However, the county overall grew by 2,796 since the 1980 population count. Development is spreading out beyond the boundaries of public incorporation; allowing this to continue without regard to any order would be a move that all citizens of this county would ultimately regret.

The county zoning ordinance provides this necessary order to development. The County Planning Commission, formed in 1973 by voter approval the year before, is an appointed body limited to making recommendations to the elected County Commission. While it would be misleading to say the Planning Commission has no influence, it is a statutory reality that the County Commission adopts and amends all ordinances. County commissioners can be voted out of office if they disappoint citizens in their handling of zoning matters, so there is direct democratic accountability built in to this arrangement; no group beyond the reach of voters will be running fast and loose with the zoning laws.

Over the years, the Planning Commission has developed a master plan for the county, spelled out regulations for subdivisions and mobile home parks and established minimum setback requirements for structures. The purpose of this work, in the words of the Planning Commission's attorney, "is to bring about the coordinated physical development of the unincorporated areas of the county." We believe this duty has been discharged fairly and reasonably. Approval of the measure Tuesday would clear the way for the County Commission to pass a zoning order that puts this matter in force.

Ultimately, county zoning is not about government officials wanting to seize property rights and dictate land uses. (Even the most jaded among us can't look at the record of this conservative County Commission and make the case it is overly intrusive.) What it does is provide some guidelines for growth in an area that's ripe for growth. With county zoning, property owners in unincorporated areas will be told "no" from time to time, and there will be frustration because of it. However, those developers who want to proceed with substandard subdivisions, obtrusive signs or ill-placed junk yards will also be told "no" in the best interests of the county citizens. This is not a prohibitive plan but a protective one.

On one level, the opponents' case is appealing and populist: get the government out of the hair of private individuals. Add even a layer of frontier heritage to this contention: those with rural backgrounds rebel against the conformity demanded of development regulations. In this year when many voters are looking to stand government on its ear, this carries a certain fascination.

But make no mistake about this issue: A vote against county zoning is a vote to remove the last 20 years from this county's history, a vote that progress is not desirable in Cape Girardeau County. This runs contrary to the vision of this newspaper, which is forward-looking and geared toward growth and opportunity for the citizens of this area.

Voters must not turn back the clock on Cape Girardeau County. We urge a "Yes" vote on the county zoning question.