The City of Ranson’s plan, titled Plan 2034, will guide development within the city limits for the next ten years. West Virginia state law requires local governments to review and update their comprehensive plans every ten years. Local governments can also amend their plans between these ten year cycles to address specific issues. Ranson has been working on the update to its plan for the past year (see the website, RansonRefined.com). The City Council received the Ranson Planning Commission’s recommended draft of the new comprehensive plan on January 16 2024.
The Ranson City Council voted on the ordinance that implements the 2035 comprehensive plan at a special meeting on April 9 2024. At the same meeting, prior to voting on the comprehensive plan, the Council held a public hearing and then voted to update to the City’s zoning ordanance to address concerns about how industrial uses are defined in the city code.
Concerns About Industrial Uses
During its February 6 2024 meeting, the Ranson City Council had a lengthy discussion centered on concerns that the definition of “light industrial” referenced in the comprehensive plan is not adequately spelled out in the Ranson’s zoning ordinance. At that meeting, the Council voted to hold a first reading of the ordinance that would enact the comprehensive plan and proceed with a coordinated timetable that would allow for both updating of the zoning ordinance and adopting the updated comprehensive plan by April 15.
According to the Jefferson County Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides support and strategic guidance to address long-term issues facing Jefferson County, the updates to the Ranson zoning ordinance significantly improve the protections around industrial activities in Ranson. While this Foundation has indicated it will continue to advocate for tighter restrictions on industrial uses, it also says it supports the adoption of the revised zoning ordinance according to the City’s timetable.
The Jefferson County Foundation has noted its concerns about the new comprehensive plan. These concerns are listed on the Foundation’s website.
Resources
City of Ranson 2024-2034 Comprehensive Plan (proposed)
- website – RansonRefined.com
- download – Plan 2034 document (PDF)
Jefferson County Foundation – Review of draft Plan 2034
City of Ranson
- City website – CityofRansonWV.net
- Zoning Code (proposed) – Industrial zone amendment (PDF)
- Zoning Code (current) – Chapter 19 (PDF)
- Prior Comprehesive Plan – Plan 2012 document (PDF)
Published 2024 Mar 7. Updated 2024 Apr 10.