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Happenings in the Keweenaw Peninsula February 14, 2006   Text © 2006 Citizens for Progressive Change. Reprinted with permission.

Town Hall Meeting to discuss land use, zoning Feb. 16

HANCOCK -- A Town Hall Meeting prompted by the Land Use Plan being proposed for Houghton County will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb.16, at the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock. The question for deliberation will be "Zoning: a Problem or a Solution?"

The Copper Country Citizens for Progressive Change are hosting this meeting to provide citizens an informal opportunity to explore the pros and cons of land use planning and zoning. It should be noted that the Houghton County Planning Commission will also be conducting their own informational public meetings later this month and in March on the County's proposed Land Use Plan.

An underlying purpose of the discussion for this Town Hall Meeting topic is to provide guidance to the Houghton County Commissioners as to citizen sentiment regarding both land use planning and zoning.

The intent of any Land Use Plan is to allow us, as citizens, to guide the growth and development of our area in a manner which will help us achieve the vision we've established for our County.

Inevitably, many changes will occur in the Copper Country over the next few decades. New businesses will emerge; new jobs will be created; new residential housing will be developed; our population may increase; new streets and roads may need to be built.

How this growth and development should best proceed is the focus of the proposed Land Use Plan for Houghton County. The challenge for us is to find a mechanism by which such development will preserve the uniqueness of our area; protect property values; and ensure the environmental qualities of clean air and water, including lakes and streams, and guarantee public access to multi-use recreation.

The draft Houghton County Land Use Plan, however, is a only a preliminary, though essential, part of the legal mechanism to guide development. The other part of that mechanism is zoning.

Many questions remain unanswered (or even discussed) about the advisability of zoning for Houghton County. Is it really necessary? Is zoning good or bad? What kind of zoning do we need? Do all parts of the County need zoning? Is any Land Use Plan workable without zoning? Will it hinder or help development? Who should establish and administer zoning: the townships or the County? Should the townships or the county lead the effort? How do we jointly achieve our shared vision? What's a workable compromise?

At the Town Hall Meetings, every person is given the opportunity to express his or her views on the topic in small group sessions comprised of six to ten participants. Afterwards, all participants come back to the large group to hear reports from the various small group discussions. It is at this point that the various opinions and recommendations are summarized and discussed in the open forum.

All viewpoints are welcomed. For more information, contact Carolyn Peterson, 482-4696.

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