cover photo by Everett Leigh
Daniel Prince
Plan now goes to Union County Council for approval
The Union County Planning Commission moved a step closer to making a County Comprehensive Plan a reality at their meeting yesterday. The commission met to discuss some amendments to the draft plan, and they unanimously voted to adopt a resolution recommending the plan to Union County Council for adoption. WBCU News spoke to Planning Commission chair Lewis Jeter, who said the plan is forward-thinking:
(audio below story)
Jeter said the commission has been meeting since 2017 to put together this plan, which included involving numerous focus groups from across the county. The plan includes sections on population, land use, transportation, housing, economic development, cultural resources, natural resources, community facilities, health, education, and priority investment. The newest amendments touched on the topics of electric and alternative fuel vehicles; housing, which mostly dealt with including the results of the county’s recent housing feasibility study; natural resources, with additional supporting information on the lake project and the equestrian trails project in the Sumter National Forest; and education, with additions to the section on USC Union, noting the school’s growth in student numbers, sports, academic programs, and facilities.
First reading of the ordinance to adopt the comprehensive plan will take place at a special called meeting on September 28th. A public hearing and second reading would come on October 4, and third reading would come at the council’s regular October meeting on the 12th.
The commission voted to meet each month on the 4th Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.