By Brenna R. Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

BURLINGTON - The goals and objectives for the 2005 update of the Boone County Comprehensive Land Use Plan were approved by the Planning Commission Wednesday.

The document is a result of seven committee meetings and two public hearings, said Dave Geohegan, director of planning services for the planning commission. Planners were happy that a lot of people participated in the process.

"We received a lot of e-mails and a lot of letters," Geohegan said. "When you get a lot of public comment, it just makes it a better process."

The set of 13 goals and 139 objectives will serve as a guide as the county updates the plan, which helps guide the county as it grows over the next 25 years. By law, the plan must be updated every five years.

The document takes into account how population, environment, economy, housing, agriculture, transportation, preservation and other matters will affect the county.

A last-minute addition to the goals and objectives was a request from Florence that the needs of cities be recognized and accounted for in planning.

The result was an objective stating: "The unique characteristics in each of the legislative units ... and the different development and infrastructure needs of each should be recognized and accommodated."

Other new objectives include assessing the impact of residential development on farms, traffic studies to assess the impact of development, considering farmers when building roads and water and sewer systems and assessing the county's historic buildings.

The goals and objectives will now go before the Boone County Fiscal Court, Florence City Council, Walton City Council and Union City Council. They will vote sometime in July.

Starting in the late summer or fall, the commission will hold several public workshops to get comments on changes to other sections of the plan, including land use.

E-mail bkelly@enquirer.com