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Coventry council adopts 18 zoning and code amendments; planning changes to use table approved
Summary
The Coventry Town Council voted 7-0 to adopt a package of 18 ordinances updating municipal code for congruence with recent state law; Council separately approved amendments to ordinance 2025-10 to modify the zoning use table at planning’s request.
The Coventry Town Council voted unanimously to adopt 18 ordinances revising town code to align local zoning and use regulations with recent state law changes, and approved targeted amendments to ordinance 2025-10 to change entries in the zoning use table.
The measures were presented during a public hearing on the slate of ordinances. Solicitor Angel told the council the planning office recommended specific edits to ordinance 2025-10 (the town’s schedule of zoning district use regulations) and that the changes should be recorded in the meeting minutes to keep the legislative record clear. “There’s about 21 pages to this table,” the solicitor said while summarizing the proposed adjustments.
Why it matters: Planning and the solicitor said state law revisions made parts of Coventry’s code incongruous with the statewide regulatory framework, and the package is intended to remove conflicts and reduce legal risk. The planning office and the solicitor said additional ordinance changes may follow as the town’s e-code review continues.
Most important actions and changes: The council first voted to open the public hearing and later voted to take 17 of the ordinances as a block, approving that block 7-0. Ordinance 2025-10 was removed from the block so the council could adopt specific use-table edits recommended by the planning director and supported by Solicitor Angel. The council then approved ordinance 2025-10 as amended, 7-0.
The amendments to ordinance 2025-10 as adopted included removing the accessory dwelling unit entry in a residential block (identified in the packet as “Block 02” for accessory dwelling units) and preserving “n” (not permitted) designations in several commercial use categories where planning requested to retain the prohibition rather than change it to “p” (permitted). Solicitor Angel and Planning Director Doug McClain told the council those edits reflected either preemption by state definitions (in the case of accessory dwelling units) or planning’s policy judgment about local retail and institutional uses.
Public comment: During the hearing members of the public were allowed to speak; one resident asked a separate question about farms and cluster development referenced in a different agenda item, and planning staff indicated they would follow up.
What’s next: The council’s planning office said it expects further code alignments as the town’s e-code conversion continues and as planning continues to identify other incongruities between state law and local ordinances.
Votes at a glance: The council took the 17-ordinance block as presented (motion passed 7-0). Ordinance 2025-10, as amended per the planning office recommendations and read into the record by Solicitor Angel and Doug McClain, passed 7-0.
