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PAGE 12A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. MAY 13. 2004
Citizens Advocating Responsible Development
join county economic task force in pushing land use plan
By Dan Pool
The recently formed Citizens Advocating
Responsible Development (CARD) met with
county officials last week to discuss ways to
build support for the land use plan referendum
which will appear on the July 20 Primary ballot.
Members of the citizens group agreed with
county officials that the first step in protecting
the county is to see that a land use plan is adopt
ed following the vote.
CARD member Roger Schultz said, “This is a
fundamental platform to do so many other
things.”
Commissioner Bill Newton, who addressed
the group along with Economic Developer Larry
Toney and members of the Economic Develop
ment Task Force, said he will sign the land use
plan if the majority of the voters say they favor
it in the upcoming vote.
“As commissioner, I haven’t been hesitant in
speaking out and saying it’s time we had a land
use plan,” he said.
However Newton hasn’t signed the plan pre
sented by the planning commission previously
because he felt there hadn’t been adequate public
input — even though that group help numerous
public meeting on the subject.
“The Planning Commission tried for three
years to get the information out there,” the com
missioner said. “But I don’t feel that the message
got out. Maybe we should have said zoning and
that would have got people’s attention. But zon
ing sounds like a bad word.”
Newton said once the plan, as proposed by the
planning commission, is adopted there would be
a six month period to “tweak” it, including
allowing property owners to determine what clas
sification their property will fall under .
The county has maps which show how proper
ty is classified now and this will become the des
ignation of all property under the new plan. The
commissioner pointed out that a recent study by
the University of Georgia found “agricultural”
property is the most financially efficient use of
land as far as local government finances go.
He said property zoned agriculture doesn’t
require new roads, infrastructure, schools or law
enforcement.
Several members of CARD spoke in favor of
the land use plan as a format to accomplish fur
ther land protection objectives.
Roger Schultz, who identified himself along
with Jo Tyson as the “co-kickstarters” of the
group, said their objective is to be a liaison with
Pickens County to see that the “county is run by
people who live in Pickens County, rather than
people who come here, but have no interest in
living here, just to to develop property rapidly.”
Schultz said their group is not opposed to all
growth. “We’re interested in progress. We’re not
regressive,” he said.
Jo Tyson said initially they need to work to
see that the plan passes, then they can work to
address issues like minimum lot size and density.
Lee Berger, of the Economic Development
Task Force, said the plan will be constantly under
review and should be viewed as a work in
progress.
He said the homebuilders association is
already working with the planning commission
on the language of the plan.
Andy Robb, a candidate for commissioner,
said, “The fact that the earlier meetings [held by
the planning commission] were so poorly attend
ed, tells you something. When people are against
something they will come out.”
Robb said he feels confident that the plan will
pass.
Schultz and other members of the group, how
ever, said they need to prepare for some opposi
tion.
“Most people understand zoning and its mer
its. But there are some who won’t wear a seatbelt
just because it’s the government telling them to.
But this is where people live and their homes,
they value it.”
Herb Hand said when people see that the
group named Citizens Advocating Responsible
Development supports the plan, they too will
support it.
Frances Stewart said, “In the past there has
been a lot of foot-dragging and kicking and
screaming over these issues. Those people don’t
like change and those people aren’t dead.”
Stewart, a retired minister, said preserving the
natural environment is a moral obligation.
“The picture in the Progress [April 28 Edi
tion] of the new shopping center turned my stom
ach. I’m a member of the Native Plant Society
and we could have rescued thousands of plants
but were never given a chance. The same thing
happened at the hospital and the Kroger site. It’s
a matter of stewardship. There are a lot of out
siders coming and they are going to skim the
cream off and be gone.”
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the new Station #6. Over 300 people attended the grand opening
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About 300 people showed up at
the Hinton Volunteer Fire Depart
ment’s grand opening Saturday,
May 1.
Volunteers at the department
gave tours of the new facility, which
chief Jerry Edwards says is “state-
of-the-art.” Also about 80 children
toured a Cherokee County EMA
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trailer that simulates what happens
when there is a fire inside a house.
Edwards said the new station —
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and it was paid for entirely with
loans and fund raisers with no coun
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The living quarters could also
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Edwards said.
The Hinton department, estab
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Over 80 children toured the
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