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Council approves zoning-code corrections, adds procedure for cases without quorum and revises temporary-sign rules
Summary
Council voted to approve Ordinance 26-06 to correct typos, align use tables, allow limited screened gravel laydown areas in the I-2 district, clarify parkland/open-space calculations and revise temporary-sign provisions to be content-neutral; planning staff said the changes include forwarding cases to council when recommending bodies lack quorum.
The City Council on Feb. 23 approved Ordinance 26-06, a package of corrections and clarifications to the City of Delaware planning and zoning code, after a presentation from planning staff and a period of questions from council members.
Planner (speaker 9) told the council the changes fall into three groups: mostly typographical fixes and incorrect cross‑references; alignment of the use table entries in Appendix A with the chapter tables; and several substantive edits. "If quorum can't be achieved or if no decision is made for two meetings, then the case is automatically moved forward to city council without a recommendation from that recommending body," the planner said, explaining the procedural fix to avoid automatic denials when boards lack quorum. The planner also said the package clarifies when existing sites must be brought into compliance after expansions, permits small laydown areas of gravel in the I‑2 manufacturing district provided they are screened and have a dust‑control plan, and replaces a confusing stack of parkland‑dedication, open‑space and lot‑coverage percentages.
On temporary signage, staff reclassified signage categories and rewrote language to be content neutral: "We have to make sure that everything is content neutral," the planner said, explaining that rules will specify size and placement for commercial signage while avoiding restrictions targeted at the message of real-estate or political signs.
Council moved to suspend the three-reading rule and approved Ordinance 26-06 on roll call. The ordinance was presented as a corrective and housekeeping-first update to the 2025 comprehensive zoning-code update; staff said the code is intended to be a living document and that this is the first set of corrections since the comprehensive update.
The council vote recorded all voting members in favor on the final passage. The ordinance takes effect according to the city's normal ordinance schedule following passage unless an emergency clause is specified in the ordinance text.
The planning department will update the codified ordinances and notify applicants and boards of the clarified procedures and permitting conditions.
