CUMBERLAND – Citizens will get a chance to provide feedback to Cumberland's Planning Commission related to the recreational area access (RA-1) zoning district in the Trents Mill area of the County during an upcoming community meeting.

The decision to hold the community meeting came during the Planning Commission's rescheduled called meeting on Monday evening.

The community meeting was set for Monday, January 31.

On November 8, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on a rezoning application that was submitted by Cumberland's IDA for the purpose of constructing an industrial/business park on Poorhouse Road. Then, the Board held its public hearing the next day on November 9.

“Part of the Board's approval of that rezoning request was that the Planning Commission in a 90-day time period, come back to the Board with a recommendation of the status of the RA-1 district,” explained Planning Director Andrew Sorrell to the Commission. “What the Board wants to hear from the Commission is that they've heard of issues with the RA-1 district in the past and they want to know if those issues are real. And if they are, should anything be done with the district?”

As a solution, Sorrell advised the Planners to conduct a community meeting where residents within the RA-1 zoning district would be invited to hear a presentation of the district and then be provided feasible zoning options that could potentially occur in the RA-1 area.

After receiving the feedback, Sorrell said, the Commission could then work towards formulating a recommendation to present to the Board of Supervisors concerning the RA-1 district directive.

So far, the Planning and Zoning Office has been able to pull together mailing addresses for the property owners who live or own land within the RA-1 zoning district.

Next, the Commission and staff will begin later this month notifying property owners by a phone call and inviting them to the meeting.

“I think phone calls help because it shows people…that their input is very important to us,” noted Sorrell.

There are roughly 100 properties, which could amount to approximately 70 actual owners.

“What we could do is try the telephone first and for those that we can't contact send a letter to them,” offered Vice Chairman Dr. Bill Burger.

At this point, the meeting is just for feedback and to allow residents the ability to learn about the RA-1 zoning district.

Once a recommendation is made to the Board, and if a change is proposed then, an official public hearing would be scheduled, the Planning Director noted.

“At this meeting will there be various options?” asked Dr. Burger about giving the community the ability to provide feedback about the RA-1 district.

“Could we have something that we could put up there that we could…say these are the options?” he continued. "Obviously, the first option is 'don't change it' and if that's what the folks say then okay. There's nothing here that we have to make a recommendation to change it…We just have to make a recommendation. If the folks there say they are real happy with it then that's down the line and we can come up with various recommendations and various plans…”

The Commission also decided that RA-1 summary and background information would also be provided to the community before the meeting as a reference.

“If we are going to be making phone calls to people we can tell them when and where the meeting will be and that we have pulled together a summary information sheet for them and that they can either have it emailed to them, we'll have copies available at the planning department, or they can get it off the website…,” said Sorrell.

As of today, the Commission's plan of action involves Sorrell presenting the community meeting date to the Board on Tuesday evening; holding the actual meeting on January 31; providing a preliminary report to the Board about the meeting's finding on February 8; and then the Commission would complete it's recommendation at its meeting on February 22.

The final version would then be submitted to the Supervisors for consideration during its March meeting date.

In order to collect feedback, those in attendance at the community meeting will be given the opportunity to complete an informal survey related to the RA-1 zoning district.

The community meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 31 at 7 p.m. but the location, as of press time, was still being decided. Once the location of the meeting is finalized The Herald will pass that information along to the public.