Even the supporters of a plan to usher in orderly development in western Hamilton County wavered last week during a public hearing conducted by commissioners.

Members of the Western Hamilton County Collaborative Plan Steering Committee and other backers expressed concerns about exact stipulations to be adhered to should the initiative be adopted.

Those qualms arose from language in a public hearing notice distributed by Hamilton County Regional Planning commission staff.

Part of the notice, labeled the plan's "effect," read: "After adoption of the plan, no public building, roadway, bridge, roadway, viaduct, or other public improvement or utility, publicly or privately owned, whose construction or location would constitute a departure from the plan, shall be constructed or authorized by the board except by unanimous vote."

Charles Mitchell, a Western Economic Council board member, said, "The western economic council supports the moderate growth scenario, but what we are concerned with is the manner in which the county's regional planning staff suggest it be implemented."

The need for clarification prompted county commissioners to send the plan back to the regional planning commission for some fine tuning.

"None of the communities are bound by anything here," said Ron Miller, Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission executive director. "The only thing this is resulting in is a blessing . . . of these goals and sub-goals of the preferred scenario (collaborative plan). We are saying to the 10 political jurisdictions that the board of county commissioners is now behind this general concept, and please study it and refine it further."

Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus said, "I don't know that it was intended to create a document that required compatibility in the land-use plan process as this appears to be requiring. Somehow did this change during the process?"

Some residents fear the plan is a mandate that supersedes the authority of those elected to run the 10 jurisdictions, which include Addyston, Cleves, North Bend, City of Harrison, Colerain, Crosby, Green, Harrison, Whitewater and Miami townships.

FAX Questions on 'the plan' A Western Hamilton County Steering Committee member, Colerain Township Trustee Joseph Wolterman, asked county commissioners to answer these questions before approving the plan: How are commissioners going to use the plan in determining future capital improvements? How is the county planning commission going to view the plan when making zoning recommendations? How are two county entities - commission and planning commission - going to address jurisdictions that do not endorse the plan? What is the meaning of language in a public hearing notice regarding the effect of the plan?