By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The Barton County Planning Commission may soon have its hands full with a large solar panel project. A recent commission study session with Acciona Energia highlights why the planning commission and zoning regulations are important for all residents in the county. Environmental Manager and Zoning Administrator Judy Goreham shed some light on what the planning commission does when an individual or company proposes a major project.
"They hear and consider everything associated with the request, listen to any landowners that might have a beef with it, or perhaps are in favor of the project," Goreham said. "When they close that public hearing, they open their regular meeting and formally vote on what to recommend the county commissioners approve."
The Barton Planning Commission is made up of nine individuals who have been appointed by the Barton County Commission. By statute, five of the members must live in a rural area, and the other four can live anywhere in the county. They meet on the second Tuesday of every month at the courthouse.
Barton County officially adopted zoning regulations in June 2000. Those regulations give county officials a standard to work against when determining whether a proposal should be accepted or not.
"Zoning is how the county controls how the county is developed," Goreham said. "I can honestly tell you in 20 years, I really feel like it is a necessary evil. It's kind of a pain for people to go through certain processes, but in the long run, it's good for everyone that lives in the county because we have some basic controls."
Goreham often handles small projects, such as building permits or other insignificant changes to property. Larger projects that require zoning amendments or conditional land-use permits go before the planning commission. After taking in the information from all parties involved, the commission will either recommend the project for approval or disapproval to the Barton County Commission.
Following a 14-day mandatory protest period, the county commission will then vote to approve or disapprove the planning commission's recommendation. The county commission needs a simple majority of at least three commissioners to approve the recommendation and a supermajority of at least four commissioners to go against the recommendation or send it back for more study.
Much of the work is done behind the scenes before it ever reaches the county commission. Goreham often recommends developers speak to neighbors in the area to see to determine the prevailing attitude. In her 20 years in her position, she said she can recall just two instances where public outrage halted a project in its tracks. One involved developing a business in a low-traffic area. The business ultimately chose a different location.
"All those residential people that lived there were absolutely opposed to it because they didn't want the traffic," she said. "They didn't want a big business going in there right where they lived. They were in an uproar and signed all kinds of petitions. That didn't even make it to the commission."
But that's why the process largely works. Having zoning regulations in place with an objective third-party applying standardized rules to applications ensures fairness on all sides.
"It doesn't matter what they want because it's not about them," Goreham said. "It's not about the nine planning commissioners. It's about doing the job of listening to the applicant. Does it fit in the county? Does it fit in the zoning regulations? And do you have opposition with the landowners it will affect?"