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Workshops
scheduled to update Dare’s land use plan
The Dare County Planning Board will conduct a series of citizen input workshops to initiate the update process for the 2008 Dare County Land Use Plan. Citizens are invited to attend these workshops to provide input to the Planning Board on important land use issues in unincorporated Dare County, which includes all of Hatteras Island. During the workshops, citizens will have an opportunity to discuss land use policies and implementation procedures in an informal setting.  All
workshops will be from 7 to 9 p.m. The schedule is:--Tuesday, Sept. 25. Dare County Administrative Annex, 204 Ananias Dare Street in Manteo. --Wednesday, Sept. 26. Fessenden Center on Highway 12 in Buxton. --Thursday, Sept. 27. Kill Devil Hills Town Hall, 102 Town Hall Drive in Kill Devil Hills. In addition, both resident and non-resident property owners can expect a survey in the mail in the next few days. The survey is a means for the Planning Department to get input from all those involved on land use policies. Under the provisions of the North Carolina Coastal Area Management Act, all coastal counties must prepare and update guidelines and policies for land use development within their jurisdictions. Such documents, commonly known as Land Use Plans, provide local elected officials with a set of guidelines for development patterns and other land use issues that are important to the community. Policies on various topics and implementation activities for the policies are included in the Land Use Plan. Typically, LUPs include policies on such issues as water quality, residential and commercial development patterns, beach access, oceanfront and estuarine development, stormwater management, wastewater, and transportation. Once adopted, LUPs must be updated every five years or so under the CAMA regulations. The latest version of the Dare County Land Use Plan Use was certified by the state Coastal Resources Commission in July, 2003. This LUP applies to the unincorporated portions of Dare County. Each of the municipalities in Dare County adopts its own LUPs for their respective planning jurisdictions. The update is expected to take about 12 to 18 months to complete, according to Donna Creef, senior planner for the department. There will be several opportunities for input from citizens as the plan is developed, beginning with the workshops and survey. Creef said she hopes that property owners will complete the survey online, which will save both time and money for the county planning staff. Look for the survey online this week at the Planning Department Web site: http://www.darenc.com/depts/Planning/index.htm To view the 2003 Dare County Land Use Plan, go to http://www.darenc.com/depts/Planning/procedures.htm 
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