Riverdale Council narrows agricultural zoning, removes by-right large residential clusters

Riverdale City Council voted 4–1 to approve Ordinance 995, amending Title 10, Chapter 8 of the Riverdale City Code to change the permitted uses in the A‑1 and A‑2 agricultural zones and to remove cluster subdivisions as a by‑right use in those zones.

The ordinance, presented by Community Development staff, revises the code language to emphasize traditional agricultural activities in the A‑1 and A‑2 zones and to remove provisions that had allowed large residential cluster subdivisions as a by‑right use in agricultural areas. Councilors approved one amendment during the motion to remove the word “noncommercial” from the line addressing corrals and stables in A‑1, preserving the ability for noncommercial animal keeping on smaller parcels.

Supporters of the ordinance said the change clarifies the city’s land‑use framework and aligns the zoning code with the city’s future land‑use map. Community Development staff explained that the current cluster‑subdivision language had functioned as a “catchall” and sometimes…