Community Meetings set for OC Comprehensive Plan

As growth comes to Oconee County, every community will face questions about how land should be developed, where businesses should be encouraged to locate, where and how housing, including affordable workforce homes, should be built, which natural resources should be preserved, and most importantly how infrastructure should be laid out to best suit each community’s needs, while also being most cost effective. If the community where you work, play, and live does not have a plan for its future, it’s possible that you and your neighbors will face sprawl rather than growth, blight rather than beauty, and your community may even miss out on opportunities that would benefit everyone. This year, the Oconee Community Development Department is in the process of reviewing the County’s “Comprehensive Plan”. This document defines public policy in terms of transportation, utilities, land use, recreation, and housing regarding the County’s plans for the future. These months are the most important phase of the review process as staff members reach out to learn about each community’s goals and aspirations in terms of community development. This is a time when the citizens of Oconee have an opportunity to talk about the issues that matter to them regarding the County’s “Comprehensive Plan” at a number of meetings are being held in each of the voting districts. Your input can help guide public policy regarding land use, demographics, housing, infrastructure, community facilities, cultural resources, transportation, economic development and natural resources. Eight meetings have been held to date and the Planning Commission and its staff have been very encouraged by the attendance and input from each of the eight communities; Fair Play, Keowee, Mountain Rest, Seneca, Long Creek, Crossroads, Foxwood Hills and Walhalla. Residents are encouraged to attend one of the remaining meetings as the County continues to review the goals and objectives of the County’s comprehensive planning document. This is your chance to be heard.
Sept. 24, 2015 at the Westminster Depot at 6pm
Oct. 1, 2015 at the Salem Community Center at 6pm
Oct. 5, 2015 at Utica Baptist Church at 6pm
Oct. 8, 2015 at Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative at 6pm