Lincoln County commissioners are debating a number of issues testing the balance between staying a rural area without ignoring progress.
The latest project, a proposed event center, drew several Lincoln County residents to the latest commission meeting where they voiced their concerns.
Joel McDowell is a Real Estate Service Professional with CORE Companies. He presented information on his company’s desire to build the event center.
“During the week, the intent is to do corporate off-site events. And again, that would be maximized to the number of rooms, and any day guest that would operate in the hours of 8 a.m. and 11 p.m.,” said McDowell.
The Lincoln County Planning Commission recommended against approving the re-zoning request. McDowell then brought the matter to the full county commission.
Joel Arends is a Lincoln County Commissioner. He said there are competing visions on how Lincoln County should look in the future.
“I think the idea of a neighborhood pub or corporate event center on Lake Alvin does sound appealing. In the sense of, I do think a lot of people from outside of the area would like to enjoy that. Unfortunately, you don’t have the buy-in from the neighbors that live there. And I wish you did. Because if you had that then you'd have a sense of community," said Arends. "But, this would not create a sense of community, it creates a sense of division.”
Similar large projects proposed recently such as the new men’s state penitentiary and carbon capture and sequestration pipelines could change Lincoln County’s geography.
In response, Lincoln County constructed a Carbon Dioxide Transport and Storage Advisory Committee.
Rebecca Johnson is a landowner in Harrisburg. She spoke for a group of landowners.
“We feel very confident in stating that the vast majority of our hard-working residents of this area live on, or bought, acreages away from town. For a specific and definite common reason. We all very much appreciate our privacy, security, and serenity. Which again, is a major factor of why we purchased or built homes outside of a busy town,” said Johnson.
The commission voted to deny the re-zoning petition 4-0.
