Commercial building in Leitchfield could join residential building in paying for permits that include a fee to offset work by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

At P&Z's Monday (Nov. 10) meeting, Zoning Administrator Keith Jones was asked to set a public hearing "in the near future" to discuss the added fees.

"It's unfair," P&Z Chairman Steve Kinkade said, "to ask residential builders to pay up to 12 cents a square foot and commercial builders to pay nothing."

The commission discussed a variety of payment plans before settling on a commercial rate of 12 cents a square foot for a commercial building under 10,000 square feet, then 6 cents a square foot for buildings between 10,000 and 20,000 square feet, and 3 cents a foot for 20,000 square feet or more.

Under the plan, a 23,000 square foot commercial building would pay 12 cents on the first 10,000 feet, 6 cents on the second 10,000 feet and 3 cents on the remaining 3,000 feet.

Commissioners discussed whether or not to put a cap on the square footage subject to the charge, but decided not to do that.

Kinkade said the fees were designed to recoup the cost to the commission of staff time spent on checking new construction for compliance with zoning regulations.

A date was not set for the public hearing Monday night.

Commissioners also got their first look at survey responses from the public on a variety of planning issues, and Kinkade said his first impression was the changes he noticed from a similar survey done five years ago.

He said there was more interest in open space and recreation than was expressed five years ago.

Apparently tying growth to jobs, more respondents in this survey were interested in rapid development than were interested in that category in 1998.

Coupled with moderate to rapid growth with limited restrictions, faster growth got a 62 percent nod.

Overall, the survey showed 87 percent of the respondents were pleased with growth being planned and controlled.

Seventy-three percent said they perfered moderate scale commercial development with local or regional markets. This category, too, is above what it was five years ago.

When asked to rate city services, respondents gave a bulge to the "average" category.

Nearly half of those returning surveys, either by mail or on the Internet, said congestion headed the list of critical transportation problems.

Overwhelming majorities considered community aesthetics-beauty, neighborhoods, small town atmosphere, diversity of development, availability and quality of services and commercial availability and quality as being important to very important.

It was the same for employment opportunities, industrial development, recreation, and historic and cultural resources.

Responses bulged again in the average category when asked to rate the city's general appearance and atmosphere -- such things as public buildings and areas, overall appeal, pedestrian safety and as a place to live.