Nov. 18--RELATED: Developers fear plan will stifle growth, drive up prices, increase sprawl
Detractors and supporters of a proposed comprehensive land use plan for Monroe County spoke at Tuesday night's plan commission meeting, where concerned residents filled the courthouse meeting room and trickled out into the hallway.
The proposed plan calls for protecting vulnerable property such as karst areas and steep slopes, while ensuring new development happens close to infrastructure such as roads, sewer service and schools. But county landowners have turned out in force, arguing the document infringes on personal property rights.
While most public comment to date has been against the plan, several people spoke for it Tuesday. That included Lee Jones, who said many recent public officials ran on a platform of preserving quality of life and concentrating growth where it already exists.
"There's always some dissenters, and they're the most vocal," she said. "They don't make the majority."
Former Bloomington Mayor Tomi Allison said the plan "shows stewardship of the land and protection of the watershed and vulnerable land forms," while Tom Tokarski said the plan doesn't stop growth but "only tries to hold it to a responsible level." And city environmental commission member Heather Reynolds called the plan an "excellent start" at attempting to limit growth where development already exists.
But critics argued the plan is too stringent. That included Jeff Ellington, who said he wanted to see where the current plan had failed.
"Not just your philosophy on a political position, but rock hard evidence that the plan has failed," he said.
Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs graduate student Olivia Smith also spoke, saying people who want to preserve a particular parcel of land should purchase it themselves. The plan inappropriately infringes on property rights, she said, adding, "It's evident the plan is ... based on your own personal philosophies of how you see the landscape of Monroe County."
Cullen McCarty said he worries the proposal is too restrictive, saying it appeared officials were trying to create Monroe State Park. "Maybe that's the intent, I don't know," he said. "I certainly hope not."
Plan commission members addressed a few concerns, including an apparent misconception that the proposal would only allow subdivisions down to 10-acre lots. The proposal doesn't call for a minimum lot size, but rather suggests an average density for rural areas, commissioner Mark Stoops said.
While there's no way to tell a resident how his or her property could be subdivided under the plan because a companion zoning ordinance doesn't exist yet, plan commissioner John Irvine said he believes the draft plan's formula would -- in most instances -- allow for subdivision down to one-acre lots.
The plan commission will next discuss the draft comprehensive plan at its Dec. 10 work session, set at 5:30 p.m. in the courthouse. Tuesday night's meeting continued past deadline.
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