1. Comprehensive Plan Update
Owensboro, Whitesville and Daviess County
We are beginning our five year review of the Comprehensive Plan for the City of Owensboro, the City of Whitesville and Daviess County.
February 2012

2. What is the Comprehensive Plan?
Required by Kentucky Revised Statutes
A guide for the community for land use decisions to assure development of property in appropriate relationships
Projects ahead 20 years
Must be reviewed every 5 years
The Comprehensive Plan is a document that is required by Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS ) to be prepared by the Planning Commission. The plan serves as a guide for public and private actions and decisions to assure the development of public and private property in the most appropriate relationships. *The plan is also required to project into the future as far is reasonable to foresee. Our plan looks ahead for 20 years. The statutes also require that the plan be reviewed every five years and amended as required, which is the process we are beginning. The statutes require certain plan elements to be contained in the plan.

3. Plan History 1979 Community Directions 1991: Plan Update
URBAN SERVICE AREA, RURAL SERVICE AREA,RURAL COMMUNITIES
1991: Plan Update
LAND USE PLAN,RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIES
2001: Plan Update
CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT,GOALS AND OBJECTIVES,UPDATE RESEARCH
2007: Plan Update
REVIEW GOALS & OBJECTIVES, UPDATE RESEARCH, UPDATE THE LAND USE PLAN ELEMENT
The Comprehensive Plan has served as the local guide for land use decisions for 30 years.
The 1979 Community Directions plan adopted the concept of
the urban service area, which is the area of Daviess County covered by infrastructure or planned infrastructure to accommodate urban growth,
the rural service area, which is the area of Daviess County without full urban service plans where the preservation of agricultural land is the focus and
the identification of 20 rural communities with defined growth areas to provide housing and other urban uses that may be desired in these areas.
The 1991 Comprehensive Plan Update introduced a new land use plan with planning areas and specific criteria for locating land uses within each plan area. This is the same land use plan used today. Rural development policies regarding lot shape and size were also introduced with this plan.
The 2001 Plan Update focused on increasing citizen involvement, which resulted in new goals and objectives being developed with citizen and elected official input. This plan also updated research and analysis and other plan elements.
The 2007 plan reviewed the goals and objectives with attempts to engage elected officials and citizens. Meetings were held with neighborhood associations and in rural communities, but attendance was sparse. Updates of data was completed including estimated population, employment, economic development and land use. The land use plan was updated based on the history of development patterns and the inclusion of expansion of business/industrial plan areas.

4. Required Elements
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES (must be adopted by legislative bodies)
LAND USE PLAN
TRANSPORTATION PLAN
COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN
OTHER ELEMENTS AS NEEDED
The first element required is a statement of goals and objectives. These goals and objectives serve as a guide for the physical development and economic and social well-being of the community. These are the foundation of the plan and should include the vision of how the community wants to progress. These goals and objectives guide the development of other elements of the plan and must be adopted by the legislative bodies. This is the key area for planning commission, elected officials and citizen involvement in the review and amendment of the Comprehensive Plan, because these goals and objectives not only form the basis for the rest of the plan, but provide the basis for regulations that are adopted to implement the plan.
The Land Use Plan element is the second required element of the Comprehensive Plan. This plan attempts to show proposals for the most appropriate, economic, desirable and feasible patterns for development of properties, including provisions for residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural and recreational uses. This plan element is the basis for decisions made about zoning changes within the community.
Another required plan element is transportation. This element should show proposals for the most desirable, appropriate, economic and feasible pattern for the development of transportation facilities, including highways and streets, rail, air, water and public transportation.
The fourth required element is a community facilities plan element. This element should show existing facilities and proposals for the most desirable, appropriate, economic and feasible pattern for the locations of utilities, parks, schools, cultural facilities, libraries, hospitals, social welfare and medical facilities, fire stations, police stations, jails and other public facilities.
The statute allows other elements within the plan as deemed necessary to serve the purposes of the plan by the Planning Commission. Our plan includes an environmental element, which has information regarding flood plains, historical sites, air and water quality, climate, agricultural land, noise control and plant and animal life. The land use plan element also adds information regarding housing and neighborhood and special plans.

5. Research Requirements
Analysis of Population, past, present and future
Economic survey and forecast
Analysis of needs of community for land use, transportation and community facilities
Any additional that serves the purpose of the plan
All elements of the comprehensive plan shall be based upon but not limited to, the following research, analysis, and projections:
(1) An analysis of the general distribution and characteristics of past and present population and a forecast of the extent and character of future population as far into the future as is reasonable to foresee;
(2) An economic survey and analysis of the major existing public and private business activities, and a forecast of future economic levels, including a forecast of anticipated necessary actions by the community to increase the quality of life of its current and future population through the encouragement of economic development as far into the future as is reasonable to foresee;
(3) Research and analysis as to the nature, extent, adequacy, and the needs of the community for the existing land and building use, transportation, and community facilities in terms of their general location, character and extent, including the identification and mapping of agricultural lands of statewide importance and analysis of the impacts of community land use needs on these lands; and
(4) Additional background information for the elements of the comprehensive plan may include any other research analysis, and projections which, in the judgment of the planning commission, will further serve the purposes of the comprehensive plan

6. 5.6% increase over last decade
Population
2010 census
96,656 Daviess County
57,265 City of Owensboro
552 City of Whitesville
5.6% increase over last decade
The population of Daviess County has continued to grow at a slow but stable rate. Since 2000, the population has increased about 5.6% to the 2010 census, an annual rate of more than one half percent. This is slightly higher but consistent with the growth in the previous decade from 1990 to 2000 of about 5%. The population within the City of Owensboro grew by 5.9%, much greater than the previous decade which showed growth of only 1.0 percent. Over sixty two percent of the increase in population occurred within the city limits of Owensboro. This is a reverse of the previous dcade between 1990 and 2000, where 88% of the population growth occurred in the unincorporated areas of Daviess County. While much of this shift may be attributable to the aggressive annexation policy of the City of Owensboro, the impact of land use policies directing growth to areas where urban services exist or may be easily expanded hopefully have contributed to some of the shift in where residential development is occurring. Whitesville has continued to lose population, with a decline of about 12.7%,

7. Land Use Data Daviess County 85.0% Zoned Agricultural
5.5% Zoned Residential
1.1% Zoned Business
2.7% Zoned Industrial
0.7% Zoned Professional/Service
5.1% Zoned Coal Mining
Some of the data used in addition to population is land use data. For example, there are 461 square miles in Daviess County with almost 15 square miles covered by water. Acreages by zoning classification were extracted from the geographic information system and the resulting percentages of zoning property in Daviess County are as shown on the slide.
85% zoned agricultural. This zoning classification also includes residential uses. Many lot divisions have occurred on agricultural properties for the purpose of selling for construction of a home in the agricultural zoning classification.
5.5% zoned Residential – Residential uses occur mostly in the urban service area and the rural communities although there are some areas of residential zoning along county roads or state highways in the rural areas outside of rural communities. Under current regulations, properties would not meet the criteria for zoning to residential zones unless they are located where sanitary sewer service may be extended or within the established rural communities.
1.1% zoned Business uses – Again this zoning classification is found predominantly within the urban service area or within rural communities, although there are some isolated business zoned properties within the rural area outside of the established rural communities. Current regulations require that in order to apply for general business zoning, that the property be located within the bypass, within a rural community or adjacent to existing general business zoning.
0.7% zoned Professional/Service
2.7% zoned Industrial
5.1% Coal Mining
Comparison of current zoning change date from 2005 to 2011 to zoning change data dated in the last Comprehensive Plan shows zoning changes to agricultural decreasing to about one half of the acreage of the previous six years as less zoning changes from EX-1 occurred. Business zoning has also increased from the previous period with activity on Hwy 54 driving those numbers. Residential zoning applications and approvals were slightly down in the county from the previous time period. Professional zoning changes were about double from the previous period with 99% occurring within the urban service area.

8. Land Use Data Urban Service Area 51.5% Zoned Agricultural
24.7% Zoned Residential
6.7% Zoned Business
4.6% Zoned Professional/Service
11.8% Zoned Industrial
0.7% Zoned Coal Mining
There are 71.4 square miles within the Urban Service Area, the area of Daviess County covered by infrastructure or planned infrastructure to accommodate urban growth square miles are covered by water. Percentages of zoning by classifications are as follow:
51.5% Agricultural
24.7% Residential
6.7% Business
4.6% Professional/Service
11.8% Coal Mining
Agriculturally zoned acreage increased in the Urban Service Area from the previous zoning data from 1999 to 2005, indicating properties reverting from coal mining back to agricultural property. Business zoning increased by about 52% within the urban service area, led by large commercial zonings occurring along the Hwy 54 corridor. As expected EX-1 zoning acreage declined. Residential zoning has declined within the urban service area from the previous reporting period, likely due to the faltering economy.

9. Land Use Issues Urban Sprawl Conservation of Agricultural Land
Extension of sanitary sewers
Increased commercial development on existing arterial roadways
Environmental impact of development in the Flood Plain
Impact of required storm water regulations on development
Some land use issues that may need to be considered as we proceed with the required review of the Comprehensive plan include urban sprawl, conservation of agricultural land and open space, policies for land use relative to sanitary sewer extensions, increased development on existing arterial roadways, and environmental impact of flood plain development and recently imposed storm water regulations.

10. Community Input
Work session or sessions with elected officials and planning commissioners
Public meeting or meetings to receive input from citizens.
The goals and objectives define the direction the community wants to go in creating orderly development in the cities and county. Input is needed from elected officials and the public in reviewing the existing goals and objectives and making changes or adjustments in those goals to reflect the desires of the community in our future growth and development patterns. The remainder of the future proposals reviewed in the other elements of the Comprehensive Plan should be based on the goals that the community has determined to be appropriate for Daviess County, the City of Owensboro and the City of Whitesville. A work session between the planning commission and elected officials will be the first step in reviewing and possibly revising these goals. After the work session for elected official input, a public meeting must be held in order to garner citizen input into the proposed goals and objectives. Once the goals and objectives are reviewed and a consensus is reached, they must be adopted by the legislative bodies. After adoption, all other elements of the plan are completed with the goals and objectives serving as the basis and direction for future decisions in land use, transportation, and community services. These remaining elements are adopted by the OMPC .