Staff to bring updated zoning map and GIS plan to commission for review

Planning staff told the West Haven Planning Commission they will bring an updated zoning map compiled by Gardener Engineering for the commission's review and recommendation to the City Council, and discussed plans to maintain the map as an actively updated GIS layer.

Staff said Gardener Engineering had reviewed the city's zoning ordinances and applied approved ordinance changes to a consolidated map that corrects discrepancies between ordinance language and previously printed maps. The intent is to present that consolidated map to the commission for recommendation to city council so Council can adopt it as the official zoning map.

Staff recommended the zoning map itself include only zoning classifications adopted by ordinance and not proposed planning layers such as collector roads, which staff suggested are better placed on a street-master-plan map or the general plan. One commissioner asked whether proposed collector roads could be shown in a different color; staff said they prefer to keep the ordinance-based zoning map separate and to show proposed roads in planning maps or in optional GIS layers.

Staff explained a longer-term plan to use a GIS-based mapping system so residents could toggle layers (zoning, streets, future land use, trails, stormwater infrastructure) and click a zone to retrieve the ordinance that created or amended it. Staff said the city may pursue in-house GIS access or hire a planner experienced in map updates to maintain the GIS, and noted the goal of attaching ordinance PDFs to zone records so property owners can see when a zone changed.

The commission had no formal vote on the topic; staff said they will return with the consolidated zoning map for review, likely at the meeting following the next commission meeting.