Advertisement

firehouse pizza banner

Patty Craig: A Slice of Time

Morgantown’s Comprehensive Plan is being updated. This document, required by law, has been an ongoing project for almost a year. BRADD has worked in open sessions with the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council. The document is currently in draft form, awaiting edits then adoption.

The City of Morgantown chose the following vision statement for the plan: “The City of Morgantown is a vibrant, thriving community rooted in our heritage, and flourishing in opportunities for citizens of all ages who take pride in themselves and in their community.” The Comprehensive Plan is a one-hundred-twenty-plus page, nine-chapter document, including: introduction, KRS statutes and goals/objectives, population, economic base analysis, housing inventory, community facilities, transportation, infrastructure, and land use.

Some statistics within the Comprehensive Plan draft include the following:
•    Butler County’s population is projected to decrease by roughly 150 persons by 2020.
•    The 2010 Census revealed females comprised 49.9% of the population of Butler County.
•    The 2010 Census revealed 36.1% of Butler County residents were over the age of fifty. By 2020, this number is projected to grow to 41.3%. This will affect the community in terms of available workforce, service needs, housing, and development patterns.
•    The City of Morgantown is predominantly white, with 91.6% of the population reporting to be white in the 2010 Census.
•    The largest minority in Morgantown is self-identified as “Other”, with 5.8% of the population classified as a race not generally included in the Census or as having a multi-racial background.
•    The Hispanic population is a rapidly growing group in Morgantown with a 178% increase in the Hispanic population over the last ten years.
•    228 of the 322 Hispanic persons living in Butler County reside within the city limits of Morgantown.
•    The leading causes of death in Butler County are Heart Disease and Malignant Neoplasm. These two categories account for 51.6% of Butler County deaths.
•    Manufacturing is the major economic sector of Butler County in terms of employment and total wages. However, the number of manufacturing jobs has declined from 1688 in 2001 to 546 in 2010.
•    Statewide, Butler County ranks 7th in production of hogs, 25th in poultry, and 27th in grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas.
•    Traffic volumes on highways in Morgantown are expected to increase over the next several years, in some areas up to 3.28%.
•    The state of Kentucky maintains nearly 300 miles of roadway in Butler County.
•    The City of Morgantown comprises approximately 2,137 acres of land.
•    Existing land use within the City of Morgantown is predominately residential with 25% followed by undeveloped land at almost 24.5% of the total acreage.
•    Floodplain area occupies 116 acres of the total land area.

Besides being required by law, the Comprehensive Plan is a way of planning to provide the best possible quality of life for our citizens. And, as I’ve often heard, “It pays to plan ahead. After all, it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.”

Tags: 


Bookmark and Share

Advertisements