Urban Service Boundary: Committee continues making Draft Expansion Map
At the August 29th Urban Growth Management Plan Advisory Committee meeting, Director of Planning Jim Duncan presented on the seven prioritized areas to expand the Urban Service Boundary discussed at the August 22nd meeting.
Where’s expansion likely to happen again? The 7 areas that are likely candidates for expansion are around Mint Lane and Man O War, Royster Road near Winchester Road, and several areas near Athens-Boonesboro Road.
The overview of the sections included discussion of the acreage of each section, and how these areas are impacted by floodplains, parks, protected lands, and various costs of development — including constructing utility and sewer infrastructure. However, it was cautioned that likely costs for full development would only be available after the Expansion Area Master Plan is done.
In short, it will likely be fully clear which areas for expanding the Urban Service Boundary will be the most cost effective once the areas are actually chosen and studied further.
The group also debated how to count gross vs. net acreage in the 2,700-5,000 acre requirement set by Council. After some debate, the committee voted to consider gross acreage for the expansion, as long as the net acreage is still equal to or greater than 2,700 acres.
What’s the difference? Net acreage is the total area, while gross acreage is the area minus parks, PDR farms, or acreage in floodplains.
Committee members asked the Division of Planning to clarify some of the current land uses in the prioritized areas, which will be presented at this week’s meeting. This Committee only has one more meeting to complete a draft map before the public input session on September 12th.
You can view the entire presentation from last week’s meeting here.
This week, the Urban Growth Management Plan Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday, September 5th at 10am in the 3rd Floor Conference Room of the Phoenix Building at 101 Vine St. You can attend in person or watch live on LexTV.
Want to give feedback?
The public input session on the committee’s draft map will be held on Tuesday, September 12th at 6pm in Council Chambers.
