Queenstown adopts Ordinance 18-04 to repeal and re-enact zoning ordinance

The Queenstown Commissioners voted unanimously Nov. 28 to adopt Ordinance 18-04, repealing and re-enacting the town's zoning ordinance.

Town Attorney Brynja Booth said the omnibus approach was chosen because it is simpler than inserting piecemeal edits, and that "the biggest change to the ordinance is to sign regulations, which was due to recent Supreme Court rulings on signs." The adoption followed a brief public hearing in which residents asked procedural and grandfathering questions about existing signs.

Why it matters: the ordinance update aligns town regulation with recent court guidance on signage and includes several district and formatting changes Booth described as mostly minor. Commissioners also received an updated zoning map from the attorney that will be adopted separately and scheduled a public hearing on the zoning map (Ordinance 18-05) for Jan. 23, 2019.

What the hearing covered: resident questions focused on implementation and whether existing signs would be grandfathered; Booth indicated existing signs would most likely be grandfathered. The public hearing on Ordinance 18-04 was closed by President Thomas B. Willis, Jr., and the commission moved to adopt the ordinance later in the meeting.

Outcome and next steps: The vote to adopt Ordinance 18-04 passed 3-0. Booth noted an accompanying zoning map will be adopted separately and recommended several map adjustments, including an adjustment for a recent annexation and a pending floating zone for a property known as Wheatlands. The commission scheduled a public hearing on Ordinance 18-05 (zoning map) for Jan. 23, 2019.

The meeting documentation indicates the town will publish the ordinance and follow up on map adoption and any sign-related implementation guidance for residents.