Citizen Input is Foundation for Harrisburg Area Land Use Planning

November 17, 2009 – Dozens of comments were recorded at the kickoff meeting for the Harrisburg Area Land Use Plan as residents of the Harrisburg area shared their ideas of the area’s best attributes and how to direct future growth. Approximately 150 citizens participated in the meeting last week.

Cabarrus County, in cooperation with the Town of Harrisburg, will be creating a new land use plan for a pre–defined area in and around Harrisburg, which is loosely bounded by the Rocky River, Rocky River Road and the Mecklenburg County line. The plan will guide leaders of Cabarrus County, the Town of Harrisburg and Cabarrus County Schools as they consider new development and school construction in this area.

Throughout the land use planning process, residents of the Harrisburg area will be asked to provide their input as planners move through each phase of the process. The community’s assets and benefits, which were identified by residents as well as town and county leaders during kick–off meetings, will become a core component of the plan and will be referenced frequently as the plan develops.

Another community meeting will be held at a yet–to–be–determined date in January. In the meantime, planners will organize citizen comments, finalize the suitability model that takes into account market considerations, and refine the goal statements identified by town leaders.

All presentations and documents related to this Harrisburg Area Land Use Plan effort will be posted on the Cabarrus County website. In addition, all citizen comments will be transcribed and posted on this website. For details about the planning process and to sign up for meeting notifications, log on to planning.cabarruscounty.us or call 704-920-2141.