County Comprehensive Plan: Work progressing on county projections

Jun. 7, 2023

Source: Rankin County News by Charles Bailey

RANKIN- Officials are forging ahead with an update to the county’s Comprehensive Plan, which targets Rankin County objectives related to a variety of issues over the next 20 to 25 years.

            The plan is compiled by the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District (CMPDD) and updated every five or so years.

            A link had been posted on the county’s web site, at rankincounty.org, to allow residents to give input via a brief survey. Those responses and other data go into the construction of the updated plan.

            “After receiving public comments, we closed the survey,” CMPDD Principal Planner David Wade said.

            “We’ve completed the existing land use survey and housing count, which gives us a snapshot of land development patterns- where they are today, and how many houses are there today,” he said. “We’ll be scheduling meetings with elected officials and department heads to talk about specific elements of the plan.”

            Major components of the plan will include community facilities, transportation, land uses, and economic development.

            The most recent plan was adopted in 2017.

            “The Land Use Plan will set the basis for your zoning map,” Wade said. “New roadways and improved roadways (can be suggested) in the Transportation Plan, and we also want to incorporate pedestrian and bicycle movement in that section,” Wade said. “Public Facilities can include everything from county fire stations to all county- owned buildings, recreational facilities and so on.

            “I think we all recognize that there was a huge population under-count in the 2020 Census,” Wade said. (Because of COVID), it was done through the mail and online. The population count that we’re looking at now is based on dwelling units, and our population count, and the increase in dwelling units I think will help us prove that there it was an undercount. I think the Census put (the county’s population) at 157,000.”

            The Plan is expected to be completed by the end of this year or the beginning of 2024.