ST. ALBANS, W.Va. — Kanawha County officials on Thursday concluded a series of public hearings related to the use of all-terrain vehicles on paved roads.
The commission has held multiple public forums over the last two weeks related to the county’s current policy, in which ATVs are prohibited on paved roads in unincorporated communities. All other street-legal vehicles must be licensed and insured.
The Kanawha County Commission in September 2020 ruled ATVs will continue being prohibited from paved roads, but special purpose vehicles are allowed on certain paved roads following a then-recent state late.
The commission called for the hearings to understand the public’s thoughts about possibly updating the county’s rules, which have not been changed since 2004.
Participants during Thursday’s event in St. Albans noted multiple concerns, including the distance each vehicle could go from recreational areas and the designated locations of use.
“It’s been echoed a lot that they would like to see the ordinance restricted,” said Cassidy Riley, the county planner and project manager with the Kanawha County Planning and Community Development office.
“More so, there’s been such an overwhelming interest in economic development and how we can couple these two things together to bring this sort of economic growth to places like the upper Kanawha Valley and beyond.”
The Kanawha County Planning Commission has been taking comments to present to commissioners. Riley noted there is no schedule for when the commission wants to pass an updated policy, but a second round of public hearings will likely happen once commissioners draft a proposal.