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Summit County, Ohio: Natural Resource Study |
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Summit County, Ohio, commissioned a comprehensive countywide natural resource Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping study to provide communities with baseline data regarding the County’s existing environmental conditions. The data were widely distributed to stakeholders and are intended to inform the planning process and serve as a resource for environmental planning in the County.
Natural resource data compiled and mapped included: wetlands, riparian corridors, woodlands, hydrology, rare, threatened, and endangered species, water quality, topography, and groundwater resources. Such resources provide public health and safety benefits, offer recreational opportunities, and improve property values and quality of life in the County. With a thorough inventory of the natural resource data in a GIS, informed planning decisions can be made.
The project steering committee included stakeholders from local communities, Summit County Engineer, Soil and Water Conservation District, developers, county planning, consultants, Health Departments, regional planning, the City of Akron, and others. As the data were compiled and analyzed, the steering committee identified key issues and recommendations for communities to consider as they develop their own comprehensive plans and land use controls.
Natural resource conservation planning tools were provided to assist communities with these challenges, including:
- Acquisitions
- Stormwater BMPs
- Conservation easements
- Conservation development
- Transfer of development rights
- Use prohibitions and setbacks
- Conditional uses, overlay districts
- Low Impact Development
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