-- I-. r-- BlBLlOGl3APHlC DATA 1. Report No 2 3. Rrcipienl's Accession No 1 SHEET ALA-TAC-083-12 4. Title and Subtitle I July, 1983 Comprehensive Plan, Limestone County, Alabama 6 7 Author(s) 8 Performing Organization Rept 10 Prolecl/T'ask/Work Unit No Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments Third 115 Washington St,, SE 11 Contract/Grant No Huntsville, Alabama 35801 HUD-B-82-DC-01-0001 12 Sponsoring Organization Name and Address 13 Type of Report 8 Period Covered Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs Final Office of State Planning and Federal Programs Division 14 135 South Unian St. Montgomery, AL 36130-5601 16. Abstracts The Comprehensive Plan presents a development plan for Limestone County, covering a planning period of 1982-2000. This Plan includes plans for land use, community I facilities, transportation, and a capital improvements program and capital improve- ments budget. Also included is a program far overall plan implementation, which emphasizes various avenues of cooperative endeavors to be undertaken by the munici- palities and county government. The Plan stresses several "growth corridors" in Limestone County- where future urban growth should occur because public facilities, utilities, and transportation services can be most easily developed in these corridor areas. I 7. Key Words and Document Analysis. 174. Descriptors iI c 7c COSATI FieldIGroup 1RAvailabihty Sratcment 1 19 Securily Class (This Report) National Technical Informalion I Service UNCLASSIFIED 2285 Royal Port Road 22 Price springfield. Virginia 22151 UNCLASSIFIEC Reproduction of this document in whole or in part by a user is permitted. The preparation of this report was financed in part through a commnnity development block grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended; administered by the Office of State Planning and Federal Programs, Office of the Governor. For Information Address: Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments 115 Washington St., SE Huntsville, AL 35801 First Printing Printed in the United States of America Cover Designed by Anderson Carroll Unique Report Number: ALA-TAC-083-12 Source of Copies: Limestone County Commission Courthouse Annex Washington Street Athens, AL 35612 National Technical Information Service 2285 Port Royal Road Springfield, Virginia 22151 Abstract: The Comprehensive Plan presents a development plan for Limestone County, cover- ing a planning period of 1982-2000. This Plan includes plans for land use, community facilities, transportation, and a capital improvements program and capital improvements budget. Also included is a program for overall plan im- plementation which emphasizes various avenues of cooperative endeavors to be undertaken by the municipalities and county government. The Plan stresses several "growth corridors" in Limestone County where future urban growth should occur because public facilities, utilities, and transportation services can be most easily developed in these corridor areas. i CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Today's increasing population growth, the pace of urbanization and the resultant problems point to the critical need for comprehensive planning. Local officials and citizens alike are becoming increasingly aware of the effects of haphazard development. They are concerned not only with technological and economic development, but also with trends in population growth and distribution, employment, land use development, environmental quality, housing, the provision of adequate public facilities and services and their implications for the future of Limestone County. Metropolitan Huntsville, of which Limestone County is a part, is a rapidly urbanizing area. The Huntsville SMSA which comprises Madison, Marshall, and Limestone Counties has grown from 201,879 in 1960 to 308,593 in 1980. Accord- ing to recent population projections, the SMSA will contain over 500,000 per- sons by the year 2000. The steady growth of the region's population and economy will result in the expenditure of millions of dollars over the next twenty-year period for housing, industrial expansion and construction, and for public services and facilities. Since investment in these facilities will have a far reaching im- pact on Limestone County's development, decisions for expenditures can best be guided by effectively related public policies and programs. Thus, the need for realistic county planning is becoming increasingly evident in Limestone County. INTENT The Limestone County Comprehensive Plan has as its basic intent the estab- lishment of a long-range public policy which provides for the coordinated de- velopment of all elements of the county to create a satisfying and efficient en- vironment for its residents; and the development of short-range development activities designed to implement short-range objectives and development poli- cies. The Comprehensive Plan must consider all aspects of county activity, pro- viding policies and guiding future decisions relative to countywide development and land use. Its recommendations bear directly upon the decision-making of public bodies within the county, coordinating public decisions of a wide variety of governmental boards or commissions so that decisions may be mutually rein- forcing. The Plan is also intended for use by the private sector. Since the Plan is based upon citizen involvement, it reflects preferences on the part of 1 I residents of Limestone County that should be respected and reinforced by the private business community. I The Plan is general in nature, and its policy recommendations concentrate upon issues countywi.de in scope. The policies will provide a guide for deter- mining which uses are appropriate in which areas and when development should I take place. GOALS 1 The planning process involves many different elements which include the establishment of goals and objectives followed by the formulation of, some means of achieving the desired goals. The Limestone County planning program is con- I cerned with the future of the county--its environment, its economy, and above all the welfare of its people. The goals selected for the Limestone County plan provide the basic framework for the physical arrangement of land uses and I the social and economic development of the county. The goals selected for the Limestone County plan includer I a Develop a strong, diversified economic base, and provide for the orderly distribution of employment opportunities throughout the county. I a Protect and manage the diverse and valuable land, water, and air resources of the county for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. I a Develop and maintain a harmoniously balanced ecological system for the county in the context of regional problems and solutions and develop methods that enable man to continue physical development of the county I without detriment to the environment. a Provide all residents with opportunities for a wide range of econamic, social, educational, health, commercial, and recreational activities and 1 facilities. 0 Provide safe and adequate housing far all county residents with an oppor- 1 tunity for choice among alternative living environments. Promote a safe, efficient, and functional transportation system to serve I the needs of all citizens and to support all segments of the economic base in the movement of goods and people. 0 Coordinate future urban and agricultural development in order to provide I a harmonious arrangement of activities for total development in the county. Reserve prime agricultural and forest lands and promote proper and inten- sive cultivation of agricultural areas. I PROCESS I The planning process, although varying from county to county, consists of several interrelated and continuing activities. The Comprehensive Plan is not I I 2 1 I i simply a product of the Limestone County Commission. Many county citizens and all local governments within the county have been involved in the process; and the Plan is, in large part, a product of the advice, assistance, and comment of I the people and governments of Limestone County. The process of planning for countywide development, as employed in Lime- 1 %tone County, can be summarized in the following outline of major steps: Phase I I 1. Research and Analysis 2. Problem Identification and Goal Formulation 3. Development and Evaluation of Alternatives 1 4. Development and Refinement of Plan Proposal 5. Plan Adoption 1 Phase I1 1. Implementation Activities 2. Other comprehensive Planning Activities 1 3. Updating and Revision Citizens and local governments have been invol-:eci in the process of the 1 major steps in Phase I, and it is the intent to rnaiT-tain opportunities for citizen participation and increased local goverinenzs involvement throughout Phase 11. 1 COMPONENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN The Comprehensive Plan for Limestone County, crzsented in the following 1 sections, consists of five interrelated elements: 1. The Population and Economic Analyses prese-ts en analysis of age, sex, I race, income, employment, education, and other 52-acteristics of the population essential to the development 05 f-xczio-al plans. Projections of the population and employment are also prest?-te3 to form a basis for 1 future recommendations. 2. The Community Facilities Plan proposes a sysz-z 35 2ublic facilities for the county designed to provide a level of pCbi:c services and facilities 1 appropriate to the existing and anticipated sizs ~?dcomposition of the population. I 3. The Housing