Changes in

county regulations, designed to reduce the amount of concrete covering

the ground, will be on the Fayette County Commission agenda for final

action Thursday.

After months

of discussion, members of the county Planning Commission have unanimously

recommended approval of the amendments to the county's parking regulations.

If the changes

are approved, developers will be "encouraged" to use alternative

paving methods that allow water to seep through into the ground, and some

minor changes in the number and sizes of parking spaces in some zoning

categories also are recommended.

Commissioners

will hear public comment and plan to vote on the changes at 7 p.m. in

the commission meeting room at the County Administrative Complex.

The proposed

changes are a first step in a complete reevaluation of the county's laws

involving pavement. The Board of Commissioners recently directed the Planning

Commission to look into the matter after Commissioner Glen Gosa pointed

out that county laws restrict the amount of impervious surface pavement

and buildings allowed in shopping centers and businesses, but at the same

time the laws require a minimum number of parking spaces and minimum widths

of driveways and roads.

"My concern

is that we have parking regulations that say you have to have X number

of parking spots because that's what the regulations call for," said

Gosa.

Alternative

paving methods will allow water to soak through into the ground rather

than running off into storm sewers and local streams and lakes.

But there are

concerns about setting the proper standards for the alternative types

of pavement, and about making sure the porous pavement is properly maintained.

Also, some of the alternatives are more expensive than standard paving,

and members of the Planning Commission admit that developers aren't likely

to use them without some kind of incentive.

The group is

recommending that, for the time being, developers simply be encouraged

to use the alternatives. In the meantime, new state and federal regulations

are on the way that will focus on the need to reduce the amount of storm

water runoff, and on removing pollution from that runoff before allowing

it to get into surface water.

Those new federal

regulations may affect the county's ultimate solution, said Dave Borkowski

of the county Engineering Department.

"We may

be a little bit ahead of the curve on this," he said. "In another

year or so, or maybe even less, we'll be rewriting this whole storm water

thing in painstaking detail," he added.

"It's

a complex process and there's no simple answer," said Planning Commission

Vice Chairman Fred Bowen.

Once the new

federal rules are in place, county staff and the Planning Commission expect

to take another look at the county's paving rules.

In addition

to the new paving rules, the County Commission will consider signing off

on a revised Comprehensive Growth Management Plan for the county. The

plan is periodically reviewed, and the revised plan contains mostly "housekeeping"

changes.

Commissioners

also will consider one rezoning request, Delana Bruce's request to rezone

2.1 acres on Carrolls Way to allow a single home lot.