Charrette & Comm Mtg in Next Phase of Harrisburg Land Use Planning

February 3, 2010 – Residents living in and around Harrisburg are invited to participate in the next phase of the Harrisburg Land Use Plan process. A two–day planning charrette will be held February 16–17 at Harrisburg Town Hall. As part of this charrette, a Community Drop–In Session will be held Tuesday, February 16 from 4:30 until 6 pm at Harrisburg Town Hall to allow citizens to review preliminary plans and offer feedback.

The planning charrette is an intensive, multi–disciplinary design workshop to facilitate an open discussion between the stakeholders of this long–range planning project. Design experts will lead key community stakeholders through a series of brain–storming sessions to determine best uses and mapping options for desirable land use alternatives, including transportation, utilities, schools, fire, police, parks, and open space. The charrette will take place Tuesday, February 16 from 9 am until 4 pm and Wednesday, February 17 from 8 am until 5 pm. Citizens also are welcome to sit in on stakeholder brain–storming sessions. A complete schedule is available at Charrette Invitation.

Cabarrus County, in cooperation with the Town of Harrisburg, is 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 are being 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.

A Community Meeting will be Wednesday, March 3 from 7 until 9 pm at Harrisburg Elementary School. This meeting will showcase work completed during the charrette and allow citizens to make comments. Community members are invited to a presentation and question–and–session about the proposed land use plan, then walk around and review proposed plans, ask questions, and provide feedback.

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.