How Should Wood County Grow?

NEWS RELEASE                                                                                  Contact: David Steiner, Director of Planning
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                            wsteiner@co.wood.oh.us; P: (419) 354-9128

HOW SHOULD WOOD COUNTY GROW?

PLANNING COMMISSION TO HOST FIRST PUBLIC MEETING FOR THE FUTURE LAND USE PLAN PROCESS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016 – 5:30 PM TO 7:30 PM
at the Junior Fair Building,  Wood County Fairgrounds
13800 W Poe Rd, Bowling Green, OH

Bowling Green, OH, January 18, 2016 — Residents of Wood County and all other interested persons are invited to express their opinions about the future growth of Wood County and discuss updating the county’s future land use plan at a public workshop being held by the Wood County Planning Commission on Wednesday, February 10, 2016 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Junior Fair Building at the Wood County Fairgrounds, 13800 West Poe Road, in Bowling Green.

The event is designed to engage participants in discussions and identification of opportunities and challenges the county may face over the next 20 years. The event will also include exercises for participants to identify critical areas for protection, reinvestment, and growth on maps of the county.  A fifteen-minute reception and sign-in will be followed by small group work for approximately one and a half hours.  The event will be led by county staff and consultants.

The future land use plan is an official public document adopted by the county that articulates the community’s vision for its future; it serves as a guide for development and preservation recommendations made by the County Planning Commission and zoning decisions made by Wood County Townships.  The county’s existing plan was adopted in 2007, and since that time development trends and regulations have changed. As such, it has been decided that it is time to create a new, clear vision for the future.  

“For this effort to be successful, it is vital that the final plan accurately represents both a sustainable countywide vision and a more detailed vision held by the Townships, so it is important the citizens of Wood County be actively involved in updating their plan from the very beginning,” said Director of the Wood County Planning Commission Dave Steiner.  “We know that the plans of our cities and villages will also have an important role in the decisions made for the unincorporated areas of the county.  That’s why we are reaching out to these communities to be active in the process.”

This meeting is the first in a series of community engagement events that the county will hold in 2016 as it works on the future land use plan.  To extend the participation opportunities for residents and business owners the activities of February 10, 2016 will be posted on the County Planning Commission website through early March. 

For more information, please contact David Steiner or Katie Baltz at (419) 354-9128 or on our website: http://planning.co.wood.oh.us/land-use-plan/