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Planning commission recommends consultant-led updates to Herington zoning regulations
Summary
The planning commission steering committee told the Herington City Commission it lacks volunteer bandwidth and technical expertise to rewrite zoning regulations and recommended hiring a consultant to update targeted sections so the code aligns with the comprehensive plan.
The planning commission’s steering committee recommended the city hire a consultant to update Herington’s zoning regulations, focusing on targeted sections rather than attempting a full rewrite by volunteer commissioners.
Miss Rice, vice chair of the planning commission and a steering committee member, told the commission the committee reviewed zoning chapters against the comprehensive plan and found inconsistencies: missing business categories (for example, tattoo parlors and bed-and-breakfasts), absence of an R2 residential designation on the zoning map, and setbacks that do not match older, smaller lots. “We’re volunteers,” she said. “We’re not planners. We’re not experts. We don’t have the bandwidth.”
The steering committee advised a phased, consultant-assisted approach: identify the most common problem areas (infill housing, lot-size setbacks, accessory dwellings) and adopt model language from comparable towns to bring the code into alignment with the comprehensive plan and future land-use map.
Commissioners asked whether the work should proceed section-by-section or via a consultant RFP; staff and commissioners noted that relying on individual variances is time-consuming (a 30-day process) and that targeted code changes could accelerate infill development by removing repetitive variance requests.
The planning commission packet, the steering committee said, includes attachments identifying mismatches between the existing zoning code and the comprehensive plan and examples of proposed code language for discussion.
The commission did not approve funding at this meeting; the steering committee asked staff to pursue consultant options and present cost estimates and proposed scopes for future consideration.
