Garner planning staff asks council for more time on sweeping zoning text amendment

Planning Director Jeff Trezenberg gave a detailed presentation on proposed zoning text changes the council has been studying for months and asked the council to continue the public hearing to allow staff and members time to refine maps and tables.

Trezenberg said the amendment package is organized around seven purposes, including restoring sections of a 2024 ordinance that may have been affected by new session law, refining residential building-type definitions (introducing ‘paired housing’ and additional unit‑count breaks), adding live‑work categories, adjusting residential mixes in districts such as R‑8, incentivizing preferred neighborhood design through density bonuses (targeted to denser districts), and updating layout/connectivity standards from maximum block length to maximum block face to encourage pocket parks and connections.

“Are we headed in the right direction? Are we missing something still that you would like us to consider?” Trezenberg asked council members, summarizing staff’s request to continue the hearing. Council members discussed issues including differentiation of housing types, building code constraints (e.g., elevator requirements above four stories), and whether tiny homes or cottage‑house style approaches should be considered in the future. The council voted unanimously to continue the public hearing to the Oct. 21 regular meeting to permit additional review of graphics and draft language.

Staff signaled that planning commission will resume consideration after the hearing is closed and return a recommendation, and that staff has blocked additional time to finalize materials if needed.