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Staff outlines phased approach to rewrite Bedford zoning ordinance
Summary
City planning staff told the commission they will break the zoning‑ordinance rewrite into prioritized sections, with staff returning section‑by‑section over several meetings and a target to finish by late this year or early next quarter; commissioners asked for a calendar and agreed to review landscaping next.
City planning staff told the Bedford Planning and Zoning Commission they plan to deliver a multi‑section rewrite of the zoning ordinance in phases rather than one wholesale replacement.
Wes Morrison, planning staff, said the consultant’s final draft is the starting point and staff will "break up" the rewrite into prioritized sections — such as the permitted‑use chart, zoning district definitions and site‑design requirements — then bring each section back to the commission for review. Morrison said staff ordinarily budgets “at least three meetings for each section” (a first glance, a second refinement and a council transmittal) and hoped the process would be completed by the end of the year or in the first quarter of next year.
Commissioners sought a clearer timeline. Morrison said he is building a realistic calendar and will share the schedule with the commission once it is ready. He also offered to proceed section‑by‑section at the commission’s pace and to return the landscaping section for further consideration, which the commission scheduled for this meeting.
The phased approach is intended to let the commission and staff focus on discrete topics (permitted uses, site design, screening, parking and tree preservation) and reduce reliance on consultants for the final steps of the rewrite. Staff said it will post the draft landscaping section for public hearing at the July 9 meeting and transmit finalized changes to City Council by the end of July.
