ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 20, 1997 TAG: 9701200102
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
THE NEW chairman of Montgomery County's Board of Supervisors has a refreshing attitude about planning for growth and development: He believes in doing some. That bodes well not just for the Blacksburg district he represents, but for the entire county.
Joe Gorman gains no special powers with the chairmanship. But the post can be a bully pulpit, if he is inclined to use it as such. And he may be so inclined. Gorman has long been an advocate on the board for planning growth in ways that will not overwhelm the county's limited resources, particularly its groundwater.
Montgomery's attitude of "just about anything goes just about anywhere anyone wants to put it" won't be sustainable as high-density growth pushes out from the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg and springs up in the Riner area. As residential development jackrabbits ahead of water and sewer lines, more and more people are drawing water out of the ground and emptying waste into it - and the county's precious groundwater is showing up at lower and lower quality.
Gorman lost no time in addressing the topic after being elected board chairman. Citing the effects of increasing demand for water, he said: "Maybe some growth will have to slow down while the public services catch up. The county is growing. The growth is urban-type growth and we've got to think in terms of meeting that growth. Not everybody that wants one is going to be able to have a well."
Protecting the public water source is hardly a radical environmental agenda, but Gorman's has been a lonely voice on the board.
The county, though, is in the process of updating its zoning ordinance, and soon will be rewriting its comprehensive plan. Both will reflect the need to coordinate growth with the expansion of water and sewer systems, Gorman promises. "The Planning Commission in Montgomery County is becoming more and more aware of these needs."
With Gorman as chairman, the Board of Supervisors may not be able to ignore them, either.
LENGTH: Short : 43 linesby CNB