By Matthew Burgoyne
Staff Writer     

    High end RV Parks were suggested at the second meeting of the Lakeshore Zoning and Land Use Discussion Group on March 24.    
    The discussion groups are led by Allison Moon, Senior Planner for Morgan County, and are a forum for the citizens of Morgan County to express their opinions on how land should be used. Moon directs the session in a certain direction based on the type of land, agricultural or lakeshore.     
    The group met on March 24 to further discuss the future of lakeshore land usage.      Citizens that attended the discussion group are concerned that future zoning and land use of lakeshore properties will impact the already existing residential areas.     
    “Anytime I bring something into this area, it is going to impact you,” Moon said to the group. The purpose of the discussion groups is to give Moon and Morgan County Planning and Development ideas on how to zone lakeshore land.      “It is your chance to shape what you want to see down there,” Moon said to attendees.     
    A variety of ideas were introduced at this meeting, including high end RV parks. These RV parks would bring revenue to Morgan County and hopefully lower taxes for lakeshore residents.     
    A major issue for everyone attending the discussion group was taxes. Moon hopes to bring in a tax assessor to the next meeting to address these concerns.    
    Another concern was infrastructure. Mentioned at the first discussion group on March 10, 2008, many people argue there is no point debating how the land is going to be used until an infrastructure is put in place. This means running sewage and water out to the properties and eliminating septic tanks. Most everyone agreed this needs to happen in order to ensure success of future land developments and to protect the quality of the lake.    
    The group also agreed that they do not want to see 10 story hotels on the lakeshore. Aesthetic is something they consider a priority on the Morgan County side of the lake.     
    The Lakeshore Zoning and Land Use Discussion Group will meet the second and fourth Monday of each month with the next meeting on April 14. The Agricultural Zoning and land Use Discussion Group will meet the first and third Thursday of each month with its next meeting on April 3.