Land and Water Use Plan By Year’s End, DPNR Says

A long-awaited roadmap for development and preservation of the territory’s land and water could be a reality before the end of the calendar year, officials told the Senate’s Committee on Disaster Recovery, Infrastructure and Planning Monday.

Jean-Pierre Oriol, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, said the Comprehensive Land and Water Use Plan would address sustainability, economic development, protection of natural resources, and building a livable community.

Calls for the plan date back decades. In a March 2000 Source article, then-Sen. Gregory Bennerson bemoaned the comprehensive strategy had been stalled since 1992. The lack of a plan weakened the territory in the eyes of potential investors, Bennerson said.

Oriol said the forthcoming plan would allow more flexibility in development by clearly outlining expectations. Zoning changes would be reduced because industrial, residential, and commercial zones would be obvious and individually broad in scope. There would also be an emphasis on maximizing green space.