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Residents urge form‑based approach as Adrian begins zoning rewrite first reading
Summary
At the Aug. 18 meeting the commission introduced a wholesale zoning rewrite (Ordinance 25-006). Residents asked the commission to pause the ordinance and expand form‑based zoning beyond downtown to allow duplexes, townhomes and small commercial uses across neighborhoods.
The Adrian City Commission heard public concern Aug. 18 about a proposed citywide zoning rewrite introduced for first reading as ordinance 25‑006.
Community Development Director Lisa Hewitt Cruz presented the draft, noted the recent resignation of the planning and zoning administrator and pointed to comparison charts and proposed maps available at the meeting. She described the draft as 'fluid' and said staff expect additional refinements after public input.
During the public‑comment period, resident Jeric Tim urged the commission to 'pause the ordinance and reconsider,' arguing the draft preserves 'the same exclusionary Euclidean zoning' and leaves R‑1 as dominant. Tim called for legalizing 'duplexes, town homes, and small scale commercial and residential areas in neighborhoods throughout the city by implementing form based code.'
Planning commissioners and other commissioners described the draft as a simplification that replaces lengthy text with a use matrix; they said only a small number of properties changed zoning classifications in the proposed map. Several commissioners thanked staff and volunteers for work on the update and emphasized that the map and code can be adjusted in future actions.
This was a first reading; no adoption vote was held. Commissioners indicated the ordinance will return for further consideration and that staff will post materials and updated maps online for public review.
