By DAVE HAMRICK
dhamrick@thecitizennews.com

Environmental concerns may make the task of planning development in Fayette a little more difficult, says county planning director Chris Venice, especially in the south end.

That's one of the concerns addressed in a proposed new environmental chapter to the county land use plan that the Planning and Zoning Commission expects to vote on Thursday night.

“The land use in the southern area of county, given the environmental concerns in that area, may need to be changed,” Venice told the commission during a recent work session.

“We may have an area that's designated for one-acre lots that's loaded with wetlands, and we'd have to ask if that's a good idea or we should change it to five-acre lots,” she said this week. “An vice versa. We could have an area that's high and dry and has good soils designated for five-acre lots and might want to reconsider that,” she said.

New federal and state rules restricting development in groundwater recharge areas are among factors included in the new chapter, which identifies environmental concerns and states general policy, but does not actually restrict development in any given area.

That comes later as the commission April 20 begins its review of a set of ordinances governing protection of watershed, wetlands and groundwater recharge areas.

The first two ordinances will be updates of existing ones, to meet new state standards. The third will be a new law, again written to meet new state and federal laws.

A quick glance at the Planning Department's new color maps detailing soil types, wetlands and other features shows why the southern part of the county will be more difficult to plan land uses for.

Not only does the area have three large groundwater recharge areas, but also all of Fayette's waterways converge as they move south, increasing the percentage of land affected by the new regulations.

“Fayette is one of the most heavily covered counties with recharge areas,” said Venice.

In addition to environmental concerns, the new land use plan chapter also addresses historic resources. It's titled Natural and Historic Resources, and lists the county's historic treasures.

The commission meets tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex.