Earlier this year the draft zoning regulations and draft zoning map were released for public comment. After a couple of months of outreach, the Planning & Zoning Commission conducted two public hearings at the end of June to get feedback on the proposed changes.
The comments received were captured and responded to by City Staff and also viewed by the Commission and considered as part of their deliberations.
Subsequent to the June hearings, the Commission has been meeting regularly to address concerns raised by the community and make changes that are responsive to and in the best interest of the City for the long-term.
Some significant changes were made to the draft regulations and draft map. The majority of the areas proposed for upzoning were reduced or removed in response to concerns raised by the community. The reduction in upzoning made it necessary to add an additional single-family district to the zoning code. This district is very similar to the standards and boundaries of today’s B Residence Zone. This also alleviates any concerns regarding the creation of nonconformities.
There are numerous technical changes proposed, mainly in the more urban areas, which are largely because of the enactment of a form-based code within an established urban environment.
Another change which might cause some short-term confusion but will be easier to understand in the long-term, is the changing of the zoning nomenclature. To be consistent with our current zoning, the single-family districts, districts with the CD-3 designation, are being renamed to CD-1 (1 for single-family, which is consistent with our existing zoning). The 2-family zone is being renamed to CD-2, while the multi-family zones are being renamed t0 CD-3. We apologize for any short-term confusion, but feel in the long run, this change will be more intuitive. Staff has prepared a memorandum explaining these changes in more detail which is viewable by clicking here.
The Articles below indicate the proposed changes the Commission are recommending prior to adoption of the regulations. There is also a link to first draft issued by the Commission. There is also a spreadsheet that lists all the changes, with page numbers. In some cases, there are hyperlinks to separate documents when the text was too large to fit into the spreadsheet.
The individual Articles are also posted below, which show all the changes recommended by the Commission. There are two ways to view the edits the Commission are recommending prior to adoption of the regulations. Staff recommends viewing the spreadsheet, since the Articles show every edit, including typos, nomenclature changes and simple clerical errors.
Public hearings prior to potential adoption of the regulations are scheduled for December 5th and 6th at 6:00 PM in the City Hall Community Room and virtually via Zoom.
Zoning is meant to be constantly reviewed and adjusted. While the changes made are designed to provide the rules that govern the City’s land use over the long haul, the regulations should always be reviewed and assessed to make sure they are working affectively and advancing the goals of the Plan of Conservation and Development.
Steve Kleppin, AICP
Planning & Zoning Director