April 16th ADVISORY COMMITTEE MASTER PLAN MEETING SUMMARY

Dearborn County Plan Commission

planning.dearborncounty.org

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Meeting Summary, April 16th, 2014:

ATTENDEES: (Underlined members present)

Advisory Committee Members:

Al Abdon, Doug Baer, Craig Beckley, Andy Bischoff, Cliff Bischoff, Bill Black, Mike Clark, Archie Crouch, Phil

Darling, Jim Deaton, Guinevere Emery, Brett Fehrman, Rick Fields, Pat Hawkins, Jim Helms, Jeff Hendrix,

Roger Howard, Grant Hughes, Jennifer Hughes, Bruce Keller, Wade Kimmon, Casey Knigga, Eric Kranz,

Dennis Kraus (Sr.), Helen Kremer, Todd Listerman, Randy Maxwell (E), Chris McHenry, Jay McMullen, Chris

Mueller, Jane Ohlmansiek, Rick Pope, Susan Pope, Terri Randall (E), Jim Red Elk, Mark Rosenberger, Robert

Sauerbrey, Kathy Scott, Bill Shelton, Jeff Stratman, Christina Swafford, Ralph Thompson, Harley & Jan

Ulmansiek (E), Bill Ullrich

County Commissioners: Kevin Lynch (E), Shane McHenry, (Art Little)

Plan Commission:

Mike Hall, Dennis Kraus, Jr., Art Little, Dan Lansing(E), Mike Hornbach, Russell Beiersdorfer, Mark Lehmann,

Jim Thatcher, Jake Hoog (E)

Planning & Zoning Staff:

Mark McCormack, Nicole Daily, Karen Abbott

(~7:05-9:00pm.)

PLANNING PROCESS REVIEW

Mark McCormack, the Planning Director, started the meeting by briefly reviewing the process of

updating the Comprehensive Plan (to this point) and reviewed the current, draft materials that are

proposed in the updated Housing Element.

HOUSING EXERCISES

In the next segment of the meeting, the Advisory Committee members present were involved in

group exercises at 4 different tables. This session, which was approximately 30 minutes in

length, allowed for the individual groups—which were seated randomly—to review and discuss

the Goals and Objectives associated with the Housing Element. The results of these discussions

 

 

and exercises were presented to the entire group (in attendance at this meeting) and have been

summarized on the pages that follow.

Housing Element Goals

H.1 Safe, aesthetically pleasing, diverse, sanitary,

affordable housing accessible to all citizens

of Dearborn County.

Group 2 suggestion: remove the words ‘aesthetically pleasing’

--There were no other comments or suggestions concerning this goal.

*Proposed Change:

Safe, diverse, sanitary, affordable housing accessible to all

citizens of Dearborn County.

H-2 Diverse housing choices as to type, size,

tenure, price and location in the County.

--There were no comments or suggestions concerning this goal.

H-3 High standards of quality of housing stock

throughout the County.

Group 2 suggestion: add the words ‘striving for’ to the beginning

Group 3 suggestion: replace the word ‘quality’ with ‘diverse’

--There were no other comments or suggestions concerning this goal.

*Proposed Change:

Strive to provide high-standard housing stock throughout

the community.

The provision of diverse housing seems to be covered by Goal H.1

Housing Element Objectives

H.a Provide a variety of affordable housing opportunities for all groups,

including the elderly, the disabled, young people and families by

establishing ordinance provisions that encourage mixes of

residential unit types.

Group 2 suggested text:

Provide a variety of affordable housing opportunities for all groups.

Group 3 suggested text:

Provide a variety of affordable housing opportunities by establishing

ordinance provisions that encourage transitional areas with mixes of

residential unit types.

Group 4 suggested text:

Encourage housing opportunities for all socioeconomic groups by

utilizing zoning and building codes to acquire a mixture of

residential unit types.

H.b Encourage residential developments that provide conservation

techniques, promote PUDs (Planned Unit Developments) and cluster

development where appropriate and ensure that best

management practices (BMPs) are employed.

Group 1 suggested text:

Encourage residential developments that provide conservation

techniques, create living centers, promote PUDs (Planned Unit

Developments) and cluster development where appropriate and

ensure that best management practices (BMPs) are employed.

Group 4 suggested text:

Promote residential development in areas which protect and do

not infringe upon our rural heritage.

H.c Enhance quality of existing housing stock in historic town centers by

encouraging incentives for housing renovations to existing housing

stock by considering tax incentives and funding options such as

grants and tax increment financing (TIF) programs.

Group 2 suggested text:

Enhance quality of existing housing stock in historic town centers by

encouraging incentives for housing renovations.

H.d Encourage a mix of housing density levels and housing types in

residential areas that are appropriate to establish compatible uses

of land.

Group 4 suggested text:

Encourage a mix of housing density levels and housing types in

areas that are appropriate to establish compatible uses of land.

H.e Identify target areas for high-density housing by identifying

appropriate areas of the County for planned infrastructure radiating

new infrastructure from existing infrastructure and coordinate

housing location with these areas.

Group 1 suggested text:

Ensure that suitable infrastructure is in place to accommodate the

current demands of all residential uses as well as future growth and

development needs. Additional consideration(s) should be given to

changes in our population’s work habits—such as increased levels

of telecommuting

Group 2 suggested text:

Identify target areas for high-density housing by identifying

appropriate areas of the County for planned infrastructure

expansion (from existing infrastructure) and coordinate housing

locations with these areas.

Group 4 suggested text:

Target areas for high-density housing by identifying appropriate

areas of the County for planned infrastructure utilizing existing

infrastructure to maximize new, long-term projects.

H.f Ensure communication between County departments responsible

for permitting to verify that safety and quality standards are met.

Group 4 suggested text:

Require communication between County departments responsible

for permitting to verify that safety and quality standards are met

and encourage intergovernmental cooperation.

H.g Increase enforcement effectiveness by considering stronger

penalties such as monetary fines.

Group 2 suggested text: Remove this Objective.

Suggested Objectives:

Encourage community networking and social interaction to make

our communities, neighborhoods, and living centers more

attractive, functional, and cohesive.

PLAN Analysis: Environment & Natural Systems

Element

Possibilities:

 Several miles of navigable streams (Groups 1, 3)

 Under-utilized and underdeveloped parks and recreation areas (Groups 1,

2, 3, 4)

 Abundant natural, passive recreational opportunities (Groups 1, 2)

 Improved advertising / marketing efforts to recognize and capitalize our

environmental assets (Group 1)

 Partnerships with various environmental groups in both the local

community and the greater region (Group 1)

 Our green spaces (Group 2)

 The concept of a State park on the old Glenn-Collins property in

Greendale (Group 2)

 Concentrate development with topography to take advantage of

opportunities with both items (Group 2)

 Agri-tourism (Group 3)

 Park development opportunities, including floodplain areas (Groups 3, 4)

 Infrastructure improvements—utilities and roads (Group 4)

Liabilities:

 Damage to wildlife as their environments / habitats decrease and

become more fragmented (Group 1)

 Certain areas of the County are difficult to farm or garden because of the

number of deer in herds, turkeys in flocks, etc. (Group 1)

 Trespass issues related to the lack of access to certain natural areas /

animal habitats related to hunting (Group 1)

 Development on steep slopes and floodplain areas (Groups 1, 2, 3, 4)

 Floodplain management does not seem to be coordinated or

comprehensive in nature between State and local officials and results in

higher insurance premiums (Groups 1, 4)

 Water supplies are not unlimited and water quality issues should be

addressed (Groups 1, 3)

 Lack of sewer infrastructure (Group 3)

 Road access and development (Group 3)

 Landfill areas / activities (Group 3)

 Water run-off problems and soil erosion (Group 4)

 Non-attainment / non-conformance with air quality standards (Group 4)

Assets:

 Prime farmland. We should preserve the prime farmland that we have

(Groups 1, 3, 4)

 The Ohio and Whitewater Rivers (Groups 1, 2, 3, 4)

 The view sheds / scenic views of our natural areas and the environment

(Groups 1, 3)

 The Oxbow Conservancy area (Group 2)

 Our historical and archeological sites (Groups 2, 4)

 Green spaces (Groups 3, 4)

 Hiking and biking trails (Group 3)

 Rail and interstate access (Group 3)

 Airports in the region (Group 3, 4)

 County Farm (Group 4)

 Fishing, hunting, and canoeing opportunities (Group 4)

Needs:

 More public access sites for recreational and environmental activities

(Group 1)

 We need to have a management plan to inventory / identify our natural

resources, how to use them, which ones we should protect, etc. (Group 1)

 Alternative plan for water supply: Ohio River vs. wells (Groups 2, 3)

 Low-impact business (Group 3)

 Sewer development / infrastructure (Group 3)

 Flood controls / floodplain management (Group 3)

 Recreation areas / parks (Groups 3, 4)

 Road improvements / bridges (Groups 3, 4)

 Bike and shared use baths (Group 4)

 Utility development (Group 4)

Mr. McCormack concluded the meeting by thanking everyone for their attendance and efforts at

the meeting. He noted that he would be emailing the Advisory Committee and board members

with the details for the next Comprehensive Plan Update meeting as well as a meeting summary

(from this particular meeting) as well as some draft goals and strategies for the Environment

Element in the near future.

The meeting ended at 8:50PM
This summary was provided by the Planning Department.