Georgia County Government - March 2008 - (Page 16)

BRYAN COUNTY continued from page 15 and is prone to create congestion, along with being potentially threatening to the region’s traditional identity – a prospect that appeals to no one in Bryan County. Joining the six coastal counties under the umbrella of the Comprehensive Coastal Plan, in a unif ied vision, Br y a n C ou nt y of f ic i a l s supp or t wholeheartedly, and are anxious to keep their planning efforts in step with this landmark initiative.“All our planning efforts are geared to dovetail with the Comprehensive Coastal Plan, which we see as an absolutely critical element guiding all development on Georgia’s coast,” says Chairman Burnsed. Adds Phil Jones: “It is especially integral to resource protection and long-range environmental integrity that we, and all the coastal counties affected by the plan, have a unified plan.” “It’s been a challenge getting all the coastal counties on the same planning wavelength,” Burnsed offers. “But we all know how crucial it is for us as a region to work in step with the Comprehensive Coastal Plan. It will be instrumental for the region’s future success.” The county’s planning initiatives, most of which were completed in 2007, dovetail with tenets identified in the state’s plan. These committee-driven initiatives include the Bryan County Strategic Plan; the Comprehensive Sewer and Water Management Master Plan; the Comprehensive Land Use Plan; and the Bryan County Transportation Plan. Bryan County officials have a significant leg up when it comes to planning, and basing progress upon it. Zoning has been in place here since 1974, Jones asserts, and planning has been implemented and routinely updated ever since. “Our last comprehensive land use plan was written in 1990, as required by the state, and we did a complete rewrite of all our ordinances in 1996, way ahead of the curve,” Jones asserts. “We have continued to update the plan as needed, and we consider it dynamic. We haven’t needed to take on many changes in planning and zoning, or in subdivision ordinances owing to the groundwork we laid from 1996, on.” THE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF BRYAN COUNTY, GEORGIA WELCOME TO THE INTERSTATE CENTRE PHASE 1 - 272 acres, PHASE II - 505 acres, PHASE III - 297 acres, Total 1074 Acres Transportation Goals The county’s transportation plan is now undertaking the study of where future roads should go, mostly where the county sees development coming in for the future, Jones notes. “We want to plan for adequate ingress and egress in all parts of the county.” The plan was developed by a Savannah civil engineering firm, Hussey, Gay, Bell and DeYoung. The county is working toward getting an additional I-95 interchange to add to the two it has. I-95, the major north/ south interstate connecting east Georgia with Florida and South Carolina and the rest of the coast along the U.S. eastern seaboard, officials claim, is seeing a traffic count of 70,000 vehicles per day. “We need more i ntercha nges,” Burnsed attests. “This is crucial for the economic development of all coastal Georgia, not just Bryan County – and it’s needed to accommodate emergency evacuation.” Jones adds that U.S. 144 or Belfast Siding Road are current routes people are forced to use, and these routes cannot continue to accommodate the growing number of people moving in, or adequate emergency evacuation. 1/7/08 10:28:08 AM 16 GEORGIA COUNTY 362897_Development.indd 1 GOVERNMENT http://www.bryancountyga.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - March 2008

Georgia County Government - March 2008 Contents President's Message County Matters Guest Editorial: Our Future Depends On Statesmanship Bryan County in Step With State Coastal Plan Solid Waste Management in Georgia Hazardous Waste Management in Georgia Extension News: Georgians Growing Older, Fatter County Parade Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - March 2008

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