Committee says newer zoning drafts were withheld; mayor to host town halls as committee presses for full review

Council members told residents on Sept. 3 that for months the Economic Development Committeezoning subcommittee had been working from a May 2024, 48-page draft while two newer, 184-page drafts (December 2024 and September 2025) were produced and posted without being circulated to the committee.

"The information that this committee was working with was supplied by the administration...we have been vetting information from a draft dated May 2024, a 48 page document. However, it's come to my attention as of yesterday that not 1, but 2 newer drafts dated December 2024 and September 2025 had been completed," Councilman John Rock said at the meeting. "The 2 later drafts at a 184 pages each were withheld from this body. The document was released to the public...but again, no effort had been made to notify or to distribute the materials to this committee."

Rock told the meeting the committee also learned last week that Susan Drucker, the city's economic development director and the project manager on the zoning rewrite, had retired. Rock said committee members learned of Drucker's retirement through a farewell email from Drucker rather than by formal notification from the administration.

Mayor Brennan, Rock added, announced last night that he would assume the economic development director responsibilities on an interim basis and would host two public town halls on the draft, one on Sept. 30 and one on Oct. 30. Rock said he considered the town halls premature until the subcommittee had reviewed the new 184-page draft.

Committee members and staff told residents they intend to press for more transparent circulation of materials and to continue their review schedule. Rock said the subcommittee would complete work on the comment matrix it had been using and set a monthly standing meeting to ensure the committee had time to vet the new material before the council would be asked to approve any ordinance.

Several residents said the lack of direct notice and the timing of public sessions had created anxiety in neighborhoods near potential redevelopment sites. "I was so nervous walking into this meeting today thinking it's a done deal and we won't have a say," Jackie Bonjorno, a Fenwood resident, said. Rock and others repeatedly urged residents to submit questions through the city's contact channels and to attend the mayor's town hall to hear the administration's presentation.

The committee requested that staff and the consultant ZoneCo provide a clear, single source of the latest draft and an updated summary of changes between versions; members said they would continue to work through the matrix and to propose formal motions on specific draft provisions if necessary.

No ordinance or final vote occurred at the meeting; Rock and the subcommittee emphasized that any final zoning code must come back to council for approval in public session.