H. C. R. 32--"Requesting the Joint Committee on Government
and Finance to appoint an interim committee to study planning and
zoning in West Virginia."
Whereas,
West Virginia's planning legislation may not be
adequate to deal with the State's development and planning needs;
and
Whereas,
Good planning practices and land use regulations
are basic tools for both stimulating and controlling growth and
development; and
Whereas,
The absence of planning in much of the State has
led to the loss of scarce prime industrial lands, environmental
threats to communities and natural and scenic resources,
haphazard development in many areas, and retarded growth in the
property tax base; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance is hereby
requested to create the Land Use Planning Study Committee to
provide an appropriate forum for the thorough review and
consideration of planning legislation and its relationship to the
State's goals of economic growth, infrastructure development, and
environmental protection. This committee shall consist of
fifteen members: Three members of the House of Delegates,
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; three members
of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate; the
Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Labor and Environmental
Resources, who shall serve as chair; and eight members appointedby the Governor because of their expertise in the following
areas: Business, industry, mineral extraction, planning, local
government, citizen advocacy, environmental advocacy, recreation
and tourism, community development and economic development; and,
be it
Further Resolved,
That the study include a review and
examination of both the strengths and the weaknesses of the
planning laws in this State, and of the means to furnish West
Virginia communities with the necessary tools to provide for the
orderly development of communities, and that the committee make
recommendations to the Legislature regarding the same; and, be it
Further Resolved,
That the committee report its findings,
recommendations and conclusions, together with drafts of any
legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendation, to the
Joint Committee on Government and Finance by the 1994 Regular
Session of the Legislature; and, be it
Further Resolved,
That the expenses necessary to conduct
this study, to prepare a report and to draft necessary
legislation be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint
Committee on Government and Finance.