Stanfield approves land use plan

Sunday, August 19, 2007 — A public hearing in Stanfield Thursday led to the adoption and approval of the completed land use master plan. The map defined more central business areas as well as industrial areas to help Stanfield plan for the future.“This document will be an ever-changing document,” Town Hall Clerk Leigh Summerour said. “We will update when the visions and the needs for the town change.”The next step the town will take is recoding and reconstructing the zoning books to meet the new plan, Summerour said.Kay Barbee began approximately three years ago start the process of a land use master plan in order to maintain a pedestrian friendly community, but also to begin development in the area for more job opportunities and leisure. This master plan like any other will allow municipalities to have a say in the types of development they will accept in their towns.“This is just the first step,” said Mayor Kevin Barbee. “This will give Stanfield the ability to take more steps in the future.”Barbee said there were few comments during the public hearing portion due to approximately three town meetings that discussed the plan. Robert Van Geons has helped facilitate this land use plan since it began, Barbee said. “We owe a lot to him,” he said.Van Geons, economic development director for Stanly County, said it was a great experience working with a group of volunteers that helped produce the land use master plan.“By working together, we were able to develop a land use plan that will influence the people of Stanfield,” Van Geons said.“This sets the overall direction but they need the roadmap to get there.” Van-Geons said there were many community meetings, however, he was interested in getting this information out to the public beforehand so the community had time to digest it before a public hearing session.“I wanted the public to have the opportunity to hear what the working team came up with,” he said. “It was a real pleasure working with the team and if they call, I’ll do what I can to help.”Van Geons served for seven years as a practicing land use planner official in both the public and private sector in North Carolina and Connecticut which led to his expertise in the master plan.TOP GOALS OF STANLY COUNTY LAND USE PLAN:n Future growth and development in Stanly County should be directed to the county’s existing cities, towns, and other, established population centers.• Protect farming as an essential element of Stanly County’s future in terms of culture, economy and land use.• Focus development to areas of the county where the physically conditions of the land can naturally support and are appropriate for no agricultural land uses.• Protect Stanly County’s unique natural and cultural resources.• Use long-range planning for public infrastructure investments-public utilities, road infrastructure and emergency/safety service-as an opportunity for community building in the county.• Encourage land use patterns that provide a compact mix of land uses at a higher intensity of development.• The provision of parks, recreation and open space needs to be an element of future land use planning in Stanly County.• Use the Land Use Plan recommendations to promote the economic development of Stanly County through a balance of traditional economic development practices, and the recommendations of the North Carolina Central park concept.n Cooperation between the county, communities and other entities offers the best solution to the future land use planning in Stanly County.