Planning update: supervisors adopt comprehensive-plan changes after debate over energy-generation language

County planning staff presented updates to the comprehensive plan (chapters 1, 4, 5 and 10) that would add energy generation to the plan's employment-center language. The change prompted extensive public comment both for and against the insertion. Rob Mann, external affairs manager for Appalachian Power Company, spoke in favor and urged recognition of the economic potential: "1 SMR generation plant can create up to a 120 jobs," he said, citing potential ancillary employment and tax revenue.

Opponents argued the phrasing signals preapproval for large energy projects and could change the county's rural character. Eric Zanzick said the job numbers the planners were using did not justify labeling energy generation a "major" employment center: "This is not a major employment center," he told the board, adding that 400 projected jobs would represent a small share of county employment and not merit the major-employer label. Several residents urged the board to remove the energy language or to proceed with caution.

Board members discussed whether to strike the word "major" from the chapter-4 text; some signaled concern about the signal the wording would send to developers while others said updating the plan to reflect economic strategy was appropriate. After debate the board moved to adopt the presented document (with a minority dissent). Staff agreed to produce redlined language reflecting any requested edits and to return with the final document for the board's review.