Residents, land owners, and local officials are invited to a public informational meeting for the Crawford County Comprehensive Plan on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Seneca school gym. The evening will include an update on the planning process, an opportunity to provide input on goals statements in the draft plan, and discussion time with members of the Crawford County Comprehensive Planning Sub-Committee. The meeting is free and open to the public.

The draft comprehensive planning document will serve as the County’s guide for land use, transportation, agricultural natural and cultural resources, housing, transportation, utilities and community facilities, and economic development. The plan covers only unincorporated areas of the county and provides specific recommendations for ways to implement goals. The draft document is the result of eighteen months of meetings of the County Planning Sub-Committee in collaboration with the Mississippi River Planning Commission and the University of Wisconsin Extension Office. Public input was gathered through a countywide tax bill survey in 2007, a public open house in October 2008, and input from citizens and plan commissions throughout the process.

Citizens may provide additional input on the plan by contacting any of the Sub-Committee members, attending monthly county comprehensive planning subcommittee meetings, or attending Land Conservation Planning & Zoning meetings. Contact and meeting information can be found at www.crawfordcountywi.org. Draft portions of the county plan and other local town plans as well as meeting minutes and plan documents are posted online for public review at www.crawfordcountywi.org/planning/index.htm.

The County Sub-Committee intends to present a final version of the plan for adoption by the County Board prior to January 1, 2010. Counties, towns, or villages in Wisconsin that wish to enforce zoning or subdivision regulations must have their own comprehensive plan in place by January 1, 2010, to comply with state statutes. For more information about the county comprehensive plan or the comprehensive planning process contact Laura Brown, UW Extension Community and Economic Development Educator at 608-326-0223.