Martin County has a growth plan that protects rural lands from overdevelopment. The plan establishes an urban services boundary, inside which the county provides the public services that homes and businesses need, such as water and sewer. Services aren't offered beyond the boundary line.

The growth plan also provides for keeping 200,000 acres of western lands rural. It allows ranchettes — parcels of one unit per 20 acres — on these lands, as opposed to the denser developments that surrounding counties allow. Martin's plan limits population by limiting what can be built. Keeping the ranchettes would add fewer than 10,000 units; changing it to just one unit per acre could allow as many as 200,000 units and add 480,000 people.

Most Martin residents have been happy with their plan, but the county commission majority, which wants to ease the way for more growth, has other ideas. This month, Commissioners Michael DiTerlizzi, Lee Weberman and Doug Smith voted to pay a consultant $528,000 to study the area and make recommendations for developing the county's rural lands. The commission majority originally planned to choose a committee of residents to make recommendations but scrapped that idea as too controversial and hired the Glatting Jackson planning firm to do the job.

The pro-growth majority has claimed that the 20-acre ranchettes would clog roads, crowd schools and require increased police and fire protection. But by numbers alone, that argument makes no sense. The ranchettes would mean fewer people, and fewer people need fewer services. In addition, the Glatting Jackson contract calls for little public input, so residents will have to keep an eye out for the schedule of hearings during the eight-month study. Commissioner Sarah Heard, who with Susan Valliere opposed hiring the consultant, tried last week to get the majority to protect lands needed for the Indian River Lagoon Restoration Plan, the first phase of Everglades restoration. She was unsuccessful.

The Martin County Conservation Alliance, which includes individuals and representatives of 20 environmental groups, has a Web site at www.savemartincounty.org with information on the county's growth plan. The commission majority's push for more growth on rural lands is not what residents want. Now, they must pay a consultant half a million bucks to tell them why they should want it.