To the editor:
First, I would like to thank my fellow members of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) committee for their nearly two years of dedication and hard work. I’m especially grateful for the leadership of Mark Byington, chair of the UDO committee.
Now that the ad hoc UDO committee’s work has been completed, the planning board will carefully review the proposed ordinance and make their recommendation.
Then the Polk County Board of Commissioners will review, make some possible final corrections, hold a public hearing and take action to adopt a Unified Development Ordinance.
As chair of the BOC, I’m hopeful all this can be achieved no later than August of this year.
At the final meeting of the UDO Committee on May 9, 2012, I was very pleased that the majority, which included me, voted to make much needed improvements to the draft of this ordinance.
The main points of these changes include: applying slope regulations related to land-disturbing activities to all of the county, that all elevations thresholds be removed in the MRPO, that the subdivision regulations remain unchanged and apply uniformly to all townships, that the table of uses in Article 8 apply uniformly to Green Creek, Columbus, Tryon and Saluda townships, and that ordinance language be adopted to protect the aesthetics of the highest ridgelines.
Tomorrow, May 24, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. in the Womack Building, the planning board will begin reviewing the proposed UDO ordinance.
I strongly encourage this board to accept in full these latest changes. I believe these amendments create a sense of equity for all citizens while helping protect the serene natural beauty of Polk County.
– Ray Gasperson.
Green Creek Township