Byron City reviews zoning code changes, asks attorney to draft temporary moratorium

Byron City officials on Feb. 1 convened a work session to review proposed revisions to the city’s land development, zoning and subdivision regulations and asked the city attorney to draft a temporary moratorium covering several residential zoning districts while the code is updated.

The meeting in the Office of the Mayor began at 1:00 p.m. and included Mayor Michael Chidester, Council Members James Richardson, Michael Chumbley and Alan Dorsey, City Administrator Tiffany Sandefur, City Clerk Telina Allred and City Attorney Brian Causey. Council Members Rusty Adams and Chris Hodges were absent.

Council members said they wanted to pause permitting or development in A‑1, R‑1, R‑2, R‑3, RMH and R‑PUD districts while staff and the council finalize revisions. The council agreed to "task the City Attorney to draft a resolution to put a temporary moratorium" on those districts; no formal vote was recorded at the work session.

The review also produced substantive draft changes: the council raised the minimum lot area for R‑3 lots with sewer from 7,000 square feet in the draft to 9,000 square feet; members discussed whether single‑wide trailers should remain allowable in mobile home parks and what minimum square footage would be required; and the council considered adding ordinance language to require submitted plans to follow the city's Master Checklist.

City Attorney Brian Causey said he would research subdivision rules to determine whether plans must be resubmitted when a permit has not been pulled and no infrastructure stub‑outs or activity have occurred, a clarification the council sought to prevent stale or incomplete approvals. The council also revisited design standards in the C‑2 downtown business district (including section 8.1.2 on permitted uses), discussed standard design features such as building facades and roofing parapets to conceal HVAC units, and agreed that monument signage generally should be limited to a maximum of 6 feet above ground. Members decided to revisit the landscaping section and to move section 6‑6.3 into the historic district overlay.

The work session ended at 4:05 p.m. Council scheduled a follow‑up work session for Feb. 22 at 8:00 a.m. to continue the review. The items discussed at the Feb. 1 session will return as draft ordinance language for additional review; the council did not adopt final ordinances or record formal votes on the moratorium at this meeting.