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Kettering Planning Commission recommends zoning code clarifications to City Council
Summary
The Planning Commission unanimously recommended updated text amendments to the City of Kettering zoning code (case PC-24-012) after staff clarified that pattern-district changes must either be applied to properties already zoned residential or seek concurrent residential rezoning; the recommendation was forwarded to City Council.
The Kettering Planning Commission on Oct. 21 recommended that City Council approve targeted text amendments to the City of Kettering zoning code (case PC-24-012), following a staff clarification about how pattern-district changes interact with underlying zoning.
City planner Ryan Homsey told the commission the amendment refines criteria for changing pattern-district designations and adds definitions for "commercial node" and "walkability." Homsey said the clarification is intended to make clear that when a property is moved from a nonresidential to a residential pattern district, the property’s zoning classification either must already be residential or must be sought at the same time as the pattern-district change.
Why it matters: Pattern districts in Kettering regulate design standards rather than permitted uses, and the amendment aims to avoid unintended outcomes where a change in pattern district would impose stricter design standards without addressing the property’s zoning. Homsey illustrated the distinction by noting that pattern districts "only regulate design," and said the update creates additional criteria for reclassifying land in neighborhood- and town-center pattern districts.
Commission discussion was limited to clarifying questions about examples and definitions. Homsey also described walkability criteria (sidewalks, bike infrastructure, benches, tree canopy and destinations within a 10-minute walk). He pointed to "sharrows"—road markings for bicycles—as an example of infrastructure intended to communicate and protect cyclists.
Action: Commissioner Carol Fisher moved to rescind the Planning Commission’s previous recommendation from Sept. 16, 2024, and to forward the revised zoning code text amendments to City Council as presented in staff materials. The motion was seconded and approved by roll call (all present voting yes). The recommendation will now be considered by City Council.
The Planning Commission’s staff report and the precise code text changes accompany the recommendation; the city planner said the redlined language and highlighted clarifications are the substantive updates requested by the city attorney.
