St. Louis County's draft Comprehensive Land Use Plan that will provide a blueprint for county land decisions through 2035 is heading into the final steps before approval.
St. Louis County staff have been working for two years on drafting the first comprehensive plan encompassing the county's entire zoning jurisdiction. The one new plan will replace 27 plans dating back to the 1970s and 1980s that only cover portions of the county, said planning manager Mary Anderson.
"It's hard to administer all these individual plans and so many of the plans have common elements that it's just easier to have it all in one place," Anderson said.
Cities and towns with their own plans, as well as state and federal land, aren't included in the new plan.
The St. Louis County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the draft plan at 9 a.m. Thursday at the St. Louis County Public Works building's lower level training center, 7823 Highway 135 in Virginia. If approved by the Planning Commission, the draft plan is expected to go before the County Board in December for more input and a vote. If approved, it'll be implemented in January.
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Land use plans, which are statutorily required by the state, provide a guideline for county decisions and the basis for the county's zoning ordinance, which enforces the land use plan's guidelines. Although the draft plan will provide the parameters for land use through 2035, it's expected to be reviewed every five years.
"It's important to have a plan so you know what direction - for example, if somebody requested to have something rezoned, you'd want to look to your (land use) plan to see what the county established for long-term goals in that area," Anderson said.
The county has held 20 public meetings to gather input in the creation of the new Land Use Plan and received "good input" from residents, government agencies, snowmobile and ATV clubs and power companies, Anderson said.
The draft Comprehensive Land Use Plan can be viewed at planslcmn.com .
