More than 200 residents attended the May 13 public input session for the county comprehensive plan.
The Jefferson County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on August 27, 2024 in the auditorium of Washington High School (300 Washington Patriots Drive, Charles Town). The public hearing will begin at 7:00 pm.
All county residents are invited to make comments during the hearing. The Commissioners will be present to listen, but will not be responding directly to any questions during the public comment time.
Immediately preceding the public hearing, the planning staff will hold a Q&A session from 6:00 to 7:00 pm outside of the auditorium. During this hour-long session, staff will be available to answer questions from the public (during the public hearing, the commissioners are not permitted to respond directly to any of the public comments).
Residents Have Concerns
The hearing scheduled for August 27 will be the first opportunity for residents to review the contents of the plan in context rather than in parts. Over the last several months, as the Planning Commission has shared parts of the draft plan, residents have raised several concerns. At the top of this list is the priority given to development over conservation and agriculture.
Many citizens have expressed concerns that while the draft Comprehensive Plan includes many references to conservation and supporting agriculture, the overall priority is to support development, as expressed in Goal 1, which states: “Ensure that future land use regulationsand policies support the development rights of residential and non-residential properties.”
Underneath Goal 1, residents have also raised concerns about the references to “by right” development for commercial and institutional uses in all zoning districts (Objectives 1.4 and 1.5).
Questions About The Water Supply
The draft Comp Plan notes that access to public utilities, including water, are essential to support both residential and commercial development. In Goal 2 the draft plan calls for the county to “Concentrate high density development in the County’s Preferred Growth Areas (PGA), Villages, and municipal Growth Boundaries (UGB&GMB) where infrastructure exists or is made available.”
The current drought conditions in Jefferson County have highlighted the uncertain availability of groundwater. The most recent study of the county’s water supply dates from 2012 and that analysis was completed in the context of a much slower rate of growth.
The narrative under Goal 2 of the draft Comp Plan includes support for developing data centers in Jefferson County (page 28). The draft plan notes that these facilities require significant amounts of power and water, but the draft document stops short of anything more specific about balancing water usage other than than a request to the County Commission to find funding for an updated water study.
You Can Send Written Comments
If you can’t attend the hearing, written comments will be accepted until 5 pm on September 6 (email to Complan2045@JeffersonCountyWV.org).
[Read more about the Jefferson County 2045 Comprehensive Plan]
Originally published 2024 Aug 1; Updated 2024 Aug 26.
By Staff Contributor