Small Town News

Zoning ordinance up for public input

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Planning commission hopes county citizens see benefits of zoning regulations

According to the Macon County Planning Commission, citizens need to know two things about zoning unincorporated areas of the county - it can protect their property now and will greatly help prepare the county for economic development.

Macon County is the first rural county in the state with the opportunity to zone its unincorporated areas. Currently, only five urban counties in the state carry that distinction.

Macon's opportunity came in 2001 after then Alabama District 82 Rep. Johnny Ford sponsored legislation granting the planning commission the right to draft a zoning ordinance and the county the obligation to enforce it. Now, eight years and 86 pages later, the county is attempting to gain support for the idea of zoning and hopefully get a finalized ordinance ready to go up for a vote.

In a public hearing held Tuesday, August 25, at the Macon County Courthouse the planning commission put the working document before the public to garner input about it's purpose and direction.

According to planning commission chair Robert Johnson, the commission's current efforts are focused on Interstate 85's section in Macon County, specifically the 0408 and 0413 voting districts - Franklin and Chehaw. The plan is to grant opportunities for development at the five interstate exits located within county jurisdiction.

And that plan for the future, the commission agreed, is a powerful gift to coming generations in Macon County. Though citizens may see no benefit from zoning areas along the interstate now, their children may look back with appreciation.

But the commission also agreed that citizens don't always stare into the future when making decisions - especially about their property.

"People's basic concern is that they don't want to be told what to do with their land," Johnson said, "and we can sympathize with that."

His response: This ordinance will not be enforced in a district unless that district approves it by vote.

Macon's zoning ordinance is being developed through open input in public meetings scheduled for each county voting district - even though the ordinance is currently focused on I-85.

The planning commission requests and requires members of all Macon's voting beats help develop and adopt the ordinance for themselves. If the district approves the ordinance, members of the community will then appoint their own advisory committee on how to best enact and enforce zoning in the district.

The commission also said zoning can immediately and positively affect an individual's property by protecting its value. Because beat residents develop how they want their district zoned, they can say whether or not they want a hog farm at the dilapidated mobile home next door.

Johnson said if a beat votes the ordinance down there will be no affect the citizens living there, but he and the commission said they feel it's time Macon County seize the opportunity to lead the way for other rural counties in Alabama.

"Eventually the county is going to grow," Johnson said. "So who's going to be in charge of managing that growth?"



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© 2009 The Tuskegee News Tuskegee, Alabama. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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