Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Appalachian Power asks county to revise future land‑use map around Joshua Falls; staff says map changes will come later
Summary
Rob Mann of Appalachian Power Company asked the planning commission to revise the future land‑use map around Joshua Falls to permit industrial/utility uses; planning staff said map amendments are not part of the current update and will be considered later this year for Board review in January 2027.
Rob Mann, external affairs manager for Appalachian Power Company, spoke during public comment to request minor revisions to the future land‑use map to reflect APCO priorities around Joshua Falls and Mount Athos. Mann said APCO operates substation facilities at Joshua Falls and seeks a consistent planning designation across recently acquired parcels.
"ABCO intends to be part of that future growth," Mann said, adding the company is exploring potential future development at Joshua Falls and recommending the county align its ordinance and map to facilitate future rezoning when appropriate. Planning staff (Katie) responded that map amendments requested by outside parties are not part of the current update and would be handled in a separate mapping process later in the year, with the goal of presenting map amendments to the Board of Supervisors by January 2027.
The exchange leaves APCO's specific requests for Joshua Falls to a future docket; staff emphasized that the present comprehensive‑plan update is limited to the chapters before the commission and that substantive map changes will require a separate review and formal adoption process.
