A list of residential developments eyed by Warren County supervisors for legal action and penalties has grown, leaving the board wavering once again over how to enforce the subdivision ordinance for development outside the city.

Of the 25 developments whose planners received letters from the county in June notifying them they weren’t in compliance, 14 were said in August to be making progress to meet requirements — in most cases, simply a matter of filing surveying paperwork. The remaining 11 had either not responded or had disputed the claims.

A list shown to county supervisors Thursday showed the status of the 11 had not changed, plus three more had been added. Three more had final plats submitted but not finalized.

Enforcement carries misdemeanor fines of $500 per day per violation before the county court judge. Supervisors were adamant about bringing most of them to court, but remained divided on whether to spread it wide or selectively.

“How do you prosecute somebody when you give some people more time,” District 4 Supervisor Bill Lauderdale said.

If the board follows through, the result should be swift, Board President Richard George said.

“They just won’t do business in this county if that’s what they’re going to do,” George said.

Of the 25 developments whose planners received letters from the county in June, 14 were said to be making progress by August to get compliant — in most cases, simply a matter of filing surveying paperwork. On Thursday’s list, three said to be undergoing further review in the fall months were re-categorized as noncompliant.     

In some cases, those thought to be principal developers have told county officials they have sold their interest to others. The issue there, County Engineer John McKee said, is that land was subdivided before the subdivisions’ compliance was judged. Others claim plans have been dropped for residential development and the project is in limbo.

Others have encountered problems with infrastructure such as tying in fire protection hydrants with existing water lines and school bus turnarounds, engineers said.

Under the ordinance, subdivision builders must submit a preliminary plan that broadly defines the area under development, including names, widths and distances between roads. Following supervisors’ approval, a final construction plan must be submitted showing drainage and elevations.

Since regulations were adopted in 2004, the compliance rate has been slow but has picked up in the past year. Four subdivisions had final plats approved Monday by the board. Six were approved between August 1 and November 30, 2008.

Those 10 are more than triple the amount approved for all of 2007, when an $85,000 study by Central Mississippi Planning and Development District on a land-use plan was completed but not adopted by supervisors. Maps showed most areas outside the city would not have deviated from current land uses.

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Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com.

The subdivisions

Subdivisions with no change in status:

Amberleaf Subdivision, off U.S. 80.

Brandi Lane Subdivision, Parts 1 and 2, off Oak Ridge Road

Camden Place Subdivision, off Oak Ridge Road

Fairways Subdivision, Parts 11 and 12, off Oak Ridge Road

Haley’s Point Estates, off Haley’s Point Road.

Holly Ridge Subdivision, off U.S. 80

Lee Hills Subdivision, off Memory Lane

Openwood Acres Subdivision, off Oak Ridge Road

Powell Subdivision, off U.S. 61 North

Rabbit Run Subdivision, off Dogwood Lake Road

Twin Creeks Subdivision, off Lee Road

Three of the 14 — Amberleaf, Fairways and Twin Creeks — saw their status changed from being on the way to being compliant to non-compliant.

Three added to supervisors’ list; final plats have been submitted but not finalized:

The Grove, off China Grove Road;

The Trace, parts 1 and 2, off Fisher Ferry Road;

Boy Scout Road Subdivision, off Boy Scout Road.

The 10 minor or full subdivisions for which final plats have been approved since Aug. 1:

Anneville Subdivision

Choctaw Boundary

Fonsylvania Road Development

Forest Cove Subdivision, part 3

Lealand Point Subdivision

Littlewood Subdivision, part 1

Mill Creek Subdivision

Redwood Heights

Stonegate Subdivision, parts 1-4

Tucker Crossing Subdivision