Planning commission recommends city council approve tighter definitions for A‑1/A‑2 agricultural zones

Riverdale Planning Commission members on Tuesday voted to forward a positive recommendation to the City Council for minor text amendments to Riverdale City Code, Title 10 Chapter 8, that rework the stated purpose and permitted uses for the A‑1 and A‑2 agricultural zones.

Planner Mister Cooper presented the revisions at the public hearing, saying the key change is to clarify intent: “The A‑1 and A‑2 zones are intended to support noncommercial farming and keeping of farm animals and fowl alongside single family homes,” Cooper said, noting he struck language that previously described the zones as a catchall or a temporary holding classification for future urban development.

The amendments remove several uses the staff said are not consistent with an agricultural intent. Proposed deletions from the permitted‑use list include cemeteries, churches and similar permanent religious buildings, cluster subdivisions and guest homes. Cooper told the commission that guest homes were removed because the city currently lacks a code regulating short‑term rentals or similar uses, and that those uses would need separate regulation if they were to be allowed.

Cooper…