Consultants outline zoning overhaul to align Harrison code with comprehensive plan

Mitch Brousse of SRF Consulting told the Village of Harrison board that a proposed rewrite of the municipal zoning code aims to align regulations with the recently adopted comprehensive plan while making the ordinance easier to use.

The presentation, delivered at the trustees’ meeting, laid out high‑level goals: preserve agricultural lands and open space, separate incompatible uses, remove redundant language and modernize terminology so the zoning code reflects current development patterns. “We want to preserve agricultural land in our open space,” Brousse said.

The consultant described a streamlined district structure that would consolidate four current residential districts into three: an R‑1 single‑family district (about 2–5.8 units per acre), an R‑2 two‑family/medium‑density district (roughly 3.6 up to 10 units per acre) and an R‑3 multifamily/high‑density district (about 6–15 units per acre). The proposal would also create a neighborhood mixed‑use district and three scaled commercial districts ranging from low‑impact neighborhood services to regional/highway commercial.

Brousse said the draft includes options to allow limited agritourism activities and to permit accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in some rural and urban districts. On ADU size he noted staff and consultants have discussed increasing ADU maximums to roughly 1,200 square feet from the smaller limits currently in the code so units can be viable second‑unit homes. He also said some communities segregate whether ADUs require conditional‑use review in urban areas to give neighbors notice while allowing by‑right ADUs in less congested zones.

Trustees asked detailed questions about how the changes would affect lot‑coverage rules, whether ADUs should be permitted or conditional in different districts, and if hours of operation should be codified for neighborhood commercial. One trustee pressed whether greater reliance on lot‑coverage percentages would eliminate the need for square‑foot caps on accessory structures; consultants said lot coverage is a commonly used regulator and can address many of the concerns trustees raised.

Brousse said the zoning rewrite is still at framework stage: staff (Chad and Josh, as referenced in the presentation) and SRF will refine district boundaries and technical code language, conduct mapping workshops, host an open house, and bring a draft back to the trustees and the planning commission for additional comment and eventual adoption.

The board made no formal decisions on the zoning framework at the meeting; trustees asked staff to continue refining definitions, to show examples of proposed map changes, and to schedule additional opportunities for public input before any ordinance language is posted for formal review.

Next steps to include additional trustee feedback, a mapping workshop and further drafts before the planning commission and a public hearing. The consultant said the public will have several opportunities to comment before the board votes on any ordinance changes.