ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, October 17, 1996 TAG: 9610170098
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
LUGS HAS fallen into disfavor in Bedford County and is likely to be abandoned, at least in growth areas, where conventional zoning for particular uses can speed along the process of putting a project on a parcel of land.
The good news in this is that the county's supervisors are not talking about chucking land-use controls, but developing a traditional zoning plan instead. That would put Bedford County in a better position to guide growth than it was in before LUGS was adopted in 1989, when the county had no zoning of any type.
It needs that power, and the political will to exercise it in ways that will allow the county's assets to be cultivated with an eye toward the future, rather than exploited for shortsighted, short-haul gains.
Without a way to regulate development, this particularly lovely rural county would have no protection against suburban/strip mall spread creeping out from Roanoke on one side and Lynchburg on another, nor against the location of any sort of business or industrial operation, welcome or not, within its borders.
LUGS has proved, in some ways, too cumbersome in accomplishing these goals. Bedford officials worry that LUGS' reliance on consensus-building - always a slow process - is hurting the county's economic development potential compared to, say, that of Botetourt County. They have reason to worry if this is true. Bedford is the fastest-growing locality west of Interstate 95 in Virginia, but it needs to grow jobs as well as population to keep a vibrant economy.
A switch to traditional zoning in areas targeted for growth might help, but zoning is hardly the only difference between the two counties. Botetourt has a distinct advantage, for example, with Interstate 81 running its entire length north and south.
And a change will not solve all of the problems that have created controversies under LUGS. Traditional zoning clears the way for quicker development - as long as land is zoned for the use to which a developer wants to put it. Rezonings take as long, sometimes longer, than the process of community hearings required by LUGS. The clash of conflicting interests can be every bit as strong and bitter.
And LUGS has definite advantages that zoning ordinances cannot match. It allows flexibility for mixed uses, for example, by allowing any use that fits in with the needs and desires of a neighborhood or community. And it offers stronger protection to those neighbors by giving them a strong voice in the decision-making about land use that has a direct impact on their lives and livelihoods.
LUGS may not be the most efficient system in every circumstance, but it seems a very good one indeed for areas where residents share a strong community value to preserve a good quality of life. Bedford's supervisors might consider some combination of LUGS and traditional zoning, which would offer the county the advantages of each where they are needed.
The most important element to making either system work - or both work together - is the resolve of the county's leaders to plan and direct growth so that Bedford remains attractive and livable in the future.
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