Greene County lays out future at public meetings

The Greene County Planning and Zoning Department is holding the public input meetings this month on the proposed Greene County Comprehensive Plan. The plan outlines policies for managing growth and development for the next 20 years and beyond, particularly when it comes to whether land should be used for residential or agricultural purposes.

“Greene County is an attractive destination for a lot of people in the (United States), and our population is growing rapidly,” said Kent Morris, director of the county Planning and Zoning Department, in a news release. “Our fear is that, without a comprehensive plan to manage growth, we’d have 3- to 5-acre lots from county line to county line, with no room left for an agricultural economy.”

The Land Use Plan within the comprehensive plan outlines portions of the unincorporated county that could best support residential development and other portions that would be best suited for continued agricultural use. The plan will be used to guide the county’s future zoning decisions and takes into consideration current land uses, existing Urban Service Areas, soils, flood plains, ground water and surface water and availability of sewers, water, roads, schools and other infrastructure.

Tonight’s meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at Willard City Hall, 224 W. Jackson, in Willard.

Other scheduled meetings are:

• 6:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at Logan-Rogersville High School, 4700 State Highway 125, in Rogersville;

• 6:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at Pleasant View School, 2210 E. State Highway AA, in Springfield; and

• 6:30 p.m. Oct. 30 at Republic Community Center, 711 E. Miller Road, in Republic.

The Planning and Zoning Department staff will make a short presentation at each meeting, followed by a question-and-answer session.

After the meetings, the department will review the plan to reflect any necessary changes and present it to the Greene County Commission for final approval early next year.

The current draft of the plan and the proposed Land Use Map are available at www.greenecountymo.org.