Hocking County zoning commission outlines township open houses, flags non-zoning tools for tourism pressures

A Hocking County Zoning Commission member said the commission will hold township open‑house meetings across the county in early April to gather public input on growth and land‑use concerns, and that the commission may recommend regulatory actions to the county commissioners before the end of the year.

The commission member, speaking at the March 27 meeting streamed on Facebook, said the commission already held its first township meeting and plans sessions on April 1 at Louisville Church of God (16457 State Route 56), April 3 at Marion Township Community Center (30737 Logan Hornsville Road), April 8 at Guyversonville Recreation Center (16194 State Route 6678), April 9 at Ewing Grange (31080 Islesboro Road) and April 10 at Murray City Municipal Building (13964 Locust Street). The meetings will present a slideshow of the commission’s work to date and ask residents to mark priorities on poster boards and sticky notes.

Why it matters: commissioners said tourism is Hocking County’s largest industry and has created development and public‑service strains that existing rules do not fully address. The commission is evaluating measures that can be adopted more quickly than countywide zoning — including property‑maintenance standards, special‑event permits, short‑term‑rental…