Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council seeks greater involvement in zoning-ordinance rewrite; planning director says draft review underway
Summary
Councilmembers said they had not been included in a consultant-led zoning-ordinance update and urged that a steering committee of council and zoning-board members be involved; planning staff said a draft had been distributed for initial review and that a broader review process will follow.
Councilmembers on Tuesday urged that elected members and Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) representatives be formally involved in the city’s comprehensive zoning-ordinance update after some members said they had not been contacted during the drafting process.
Councilmember Mindy Moore said council members expected to be part of a steering committee and criticized a perception that the planning department or outside consultant had prepared a near-final draft without broader input. "If Warren has a consultant doing this, why aren't council members involved? Zoning board members? Are they just gonna forward the finished product to council?" Moore asked.
Public service director and planning staff responded that planning had received an initial draft and had circulated it to a small group for a preliminary review. The department scheduled a Sept. 12 meeting for a limited set of staff and reviewers to identify key bullet points before a more formal engagement with council, ZBA and the public.
Planning staff said the draft is the first the administration has seen in two years; staff emphasized they intend to include council members, ZBA and the public during the next review stages. Council passed a motion to receive and file the update and asked staff to ensure a more transparent, interactive steering process involving council and ZBA members.
Why it matters: The city’s zoning ordinance sets rules for land use, signs, parking and redevelopment standards. Councilmembers said they want a transparent steering process to capture on-the-ground ZBA experience and to address contemporary issues such as mixed-use development, signage and driveway encroachments.
