County planning officials were extremely critical of revisions made to the Warriors Mark Township comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance, stating that the changes were “fuzzy” and “incomplete.” Planning director Richard Stahl said much more work needs to be done to clarify many questions the board has raised since receiving the reports.
“We received this update of the township’s 1992 comprehensive plan and the first thing that we noticed was there are no maps,” Stahl said at the regular monthly meeting. “The plan outlines some lofty goals but nowhere in this plan is it made clear how exactly this plan differs from the previous one.
“This report is fuzzy, which is accentuated by the fact that there are no maps,” he continued. “The objectives listed are very interesting, but this plan is very hard to follow — it’s just poorly written.”
In attendance at Wednesday’s meeting were two Warriors Mark Township residents — Becky Walter and Jane Branstetter — who seemed to agree with the planning director’s comments.
“They’ve spent upwards of $35,000 on this report and I think, quite frankly, that the planner was poorly chosen,” Branstetter said. “The township planning commission was not involved with this report. They’ve seen it, but it’s not been discussed with them.”
Stahl noted that the plan suggests many goals — preservation of natural resources like the Warriors Mark Run and the Spruce Creek Watershed, the implementation of some bike and pedestrian trails — but there is no clear-cut plan explaining how these objectives will be accomplished.
“In the county comprehensive plan, there are clearly laid out steps on how to achieve each goal,” he said. “What should we do to push these objectives through? There’s no answer here. And there are no maps.”
Stahl said while fresh and updated GIS mapping is available through the county, no request had been made to acquire any.
With regard to the new zoning ordinance, Warriors Mark is looking for a change in strategy. Before, residential subdivisions were required to set aside at least 50 percent of total acreage for open space, in an effort to preserve agricultural soils and the overall “country” landscape. Under a new plan, they’re looking to set up specific districts for agriculture, residential, industrial and village zoning.
“They want to preserve the beauty of the region, as well as the ‘small-town character’ in the village of Warriors Mark,” Stahl noted. “That’s a good thing to do. What they’ve got to be careful about here is what types of commercial uses they’re allowing in the village district.
“What they don’t want is to have a Wal-Mart come in and set up shop because the commercial zoning restrictions are not clear enough. They need to strip out commercial uses that don’t work in maintaining the village character.”
Stahl suggested the township consider adding a “commercial” district which could help to limit the possibility of business taking over in residential areas.
Under the newly-proposed ordinance, 30 percent of all township land is being set aside as agricultural land. This should loosen open land requirements where subdivisions are concerned.
“If the township runs low of land designated for residential use, then they may rezone to enlarge the districts,” he said.
Planning commission member Herb Cole then expressed his concern.
“Farmers trust zoning just about as much as they trust lawyers,” he said. “The problem with this is how much zoning impacts the property value of farm land. One day it’s worth so much and then the next day, someone draws a new line and your land’s value has changed just like that.”
“I think this is a step in the right direction,” Stahl noted. “They just need to make good decisions.”
