COSHOCTON − Residents’ input will play a key role in the development of Coshocton County.
Officials are asking for feedback to create a new land use plan that will focus on guiding economic growth, development and land use decisions through the coming decades.
Announced in March, the project will update the 2006 plan to help guide economic growth in the county, which is seen as crucial as new business developments like the Aligned Data Center under construction at the Conesville Industrial Park.
The first public meeting to gather ideas and form workgroups is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 31 at the Coshocton County Community Room. A steering committee meeting will be prior at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 24 in Room 145 of the Coshocton County Services Building.
A land use plan manages and optimizes how land is developed and used while balancing social, economic and environmental needs. It can also direct growth through zoning, infrastructure planning and environmental protection. The main elements of the plan is geographic information system (GIS) mapping and input from local stakeholders.
New leadership
Kellie Hayden of Zanesville, who previously worked in K-12 education, is leading the project. She replaced Evelyn Morrison as a community development educator for the Ohio State University Extension Office of Coshocton County. Morrison left in May.
Due to the transition the project is a bit behind, but Hayden hopes a plan can still be finalized by May 2027. That coincides with a deadline to use a $50,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture for plan creation.
Hayden is speaking with two different GIS companies and expects one will assist with the project. Cost is to be determined.
Broad participation
Commissioner Bob Bigrigg said the county has changed dramatically since the creation of the 2006 plan, which supposedly had a 50-year outlook. He expects more changes over the next two decades and wants residents involved in shaping the county’s future.
“There are many different dynamics and many different expansions of industry in our community. Potentially, this gives the public a way to provide input back into the situation,” he said. “It needs to be as open and transparent as possible. People are allowed to participate. If they have something to add, they are welcome to come (to the meetings).”
Bigrigg would like to see the new plan feature input from the banking and finance sector and address zoning.
Currently, only Coshocton, West Lafayette and Warsaw have zoning regulations governing what types of commercial businesses or residential structures can be built. Bigrigg noted local officials had little oversight in the Aligned Data Center project because zoning regulations weren’t in place.
“Where we had an AEP coal fired power plant, we now are in the process of changing direction and putting that land back into use again,” Bigrigg stated. “It’s a large change from 2006 and who would have known then these changes would have taken place in our community and been proactive in regards to it.”
Commissioner Dane Shryock said the county’s northern region has seen significant changes as Amish families from Holmes County continue to purchase land. Some longtime family farms have been divided into smaller parcels and this can have an impact on agriculture, which is still the county’s top industry.
Therefore, Shryock would like to see Amish residents have a voice in the plan meetings.
“A lot of people are unaware of the significance of that group of people as an economic driving factor in this community,” Shryock said.
Once completed, the land use plan will be available online. The 2006 document can be viewed at the OSU Extension Office of Coshocton County website.
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 18 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: As Coshocton County evolves, leaders are looking to residents for direction
Reporting by Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune / Coshocton Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune | USA TODAY Network
