Wednesday, October 25, 2000
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Wednesday, October 25, 2000 |
| New rules expected
to chip away at concrete jungle
By DAVE
HAMRICK
Changes in county regulations, designed to reduce the amount of concrete covering the ground, will be on the Fayette County Commission agenda for final action Thursday. After months of discussion, members of the county Planning Commission have unanimously recommended approval of the amendments to the county's parking regulations. If the changes are approved, developers will be "encouraged" to use alternative paving methods that allow water to seep through into the ground, and some minor changes in the number and sizes of parking spaces in some zoning categories also are recommended. Commissioners will hear public comment and plan to vote on the changes at 7 p.m. in the commission meeting room at the County Administrative Complex. The proposed changes are a first step in a complete reevaluation of the county's laws involving pavement. The Board of Commissioners recently directed the Planning Commission to look into the matter after Commissioner Glen Gosa pointed out that county laws restrict the amount of impervious surface pavement and buildings allowed in shopping centers and businesses, but at the same time the laws require a minimum number of parking spaces and minimum widths of driveways and roads. "My concern is that we have parking regulations that say you have to have X number of parking spots because that's what the regulations call for," said Gosa. Alternative paving methods will allow water to soak through into the ground rather than running off into storm sewers and local streams and lakes. But there are concerns about setting the proper standards for the alternative types of pavement, and about making sure the porous pavement is properly maintained. Also, some of the alternatives are more expensive than standard paving, and members of the Planning Commission admit that developers aren't likely to use them without some kind of incentive. The group is recommending that, for the time being, developers simply be encouraged to use the alternatives. In the meantime, new state and federal regulations are on the way that will focus on the need to reduce the amount of storm water runoff, and on removing pollution from that runoff before allowing it to get into surface water. Those new federal regulations may affect the county's ultimate solution, said Dave Borkowski of the county Engineering Department. "We may be a little bit ahead of the curve on this," he said. "In another year or so, or maybe even less, we'll be rewriting this whole storm water thing in painstaking detail," he added. "It's a complex process and there's no simple answer," said Planning Commission Vice Chairman Fred Bowen. Once the new federal rules are in place, county staff and the Planning Commission expect to take another look at the county's paving rules. In addition to the new paving rules, the County Commission will consider signing off on a revised Comprehensive Growth Management Plan for the county. The plan is periodically reviewed, and the revised plan contains mostly "housekeeping" changes. Commissioners also will consider one rezoning request, Delana Bruce's request to rezone 2.1 acres on Carrolls Way to allow a single home lot.
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