Timeline for zoning revision
- Published: August 2, 2012
At the July 16 Village Council meeting, Council member Lori Askeland announced an upcoming process to introduce villagers to proposed changes in the Village zoning code.
Revising the code to allow for more diverse housing options was one of the main goals to come out of Council’s 2010 visioning process. The code was last revised in the 1980s, according to Askeland.
The revised code is the result of an effort by the Technical Review Committee, or TRC, to address details of the document. TRC members held about six three-hour meetings to revise the code, Askeland said.
The proposed zoning code changes are “practical and achievable” ones, and the revision is not a “radically different” code than the original, according to Askeland, who said the revised document “will be more user friendly.”
Due to the code’s length, an executive summary of the revised code will be presented at Council’s next meeting, on Monday, Aug. 6. The purpose of the presentation is to inform citizens and answer questions, according to a memo by Village Manager Laura Curliss.
Following that presentation, TRC members will present the executive summary to Planning Commission.
On Tuesday, Aug. 28, 6–9 p.m., a Community Open House on the document will be held in rooms A and B at Bryan Center. The TRC will give a short presentation on the revised code at 6 p.m., and again at 7:30 p.m. Villagers may come at any time during those hours to view the document, and comment cards will also be available.
In the fourth step of the process, two joint Council/Planning Commission meetings will be held in September, with suggested dates the 10th and the 24th. Public input on the plan will be solicited, and the discussion will be broken into the areas of 1) Signage and the PUD process; 2) Business, industrial and educational districts;
3) The general business/retail districts, along with northern and southern “gateways” to the village; and 4) Residential districts.
Following these meetings, the TRC will meet again, on a date not yet determined, to incorporate suggestions into the document. A special Planning Commission meeting will then be held to review the amended plan.
Finally, Council will debate, amend and adopt the new zoning code at regular meetings in November and December.
In other July 16 Council business:
• Council reviewed a position description for the position of chief of police. The document can be accessed online at http://www.yso.com, click on Council for July 16. The job will be posted soon, according to Council President Judith Hempfling, who said at this point the timeline for hiring a new chief has not been finalized.
• Council unanimously approved a resolution approving a contract with C&N Contracting for HVAC work at the Yellow Springs library. The work is the first stage of long-awaited upgrades for the library, which are funded by money set aside from the 2006 property tax levy.
• Council unanimously approved the 2013 tax budget for the Village. While Council has not yet worked on next year’s budget and generally begins the process a few months before the year in question, the tax budget is an administrative detail that is required by the county at this time, according to Hempfling.
• Council unanimously passed a resolution commending Yellow Springs Home, Inc. as an exemplary provider of affordable housing. The purpose of the resolution is to aid the local nonprofit in obtaining funding for its efforts, according to Hempfling.
• Council’s next regular meeting will take place in Council chambers on Monday, Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. The discussion on proposed local downtown streetscape changes, which began at the July 16 meeting, will continue at that time, and Council may vote on the topic.
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