Friday, May 17, 2002
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Friday, May 17, 2002 |
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Residents can glimpse new zoning and development standards By JOHN
THOMPSON Residents eager to see how development will occur in Senoia should circle Tuesday on their calendars. Starting at 7 p.m. at City Hall, the city's Planning Commission will listen to the public's comments on new zoning ordinance changes and development standards. Earlier this year, the City Council unanimously approved extending the city's moratorium on new developments until July. The moratorium was slated to expire at the end of April but the City Council and Planning Commission were still examining changes to the city's zoning and land development ordinances. Council members started looking at the changes in April, and spent nearly two hours discussing the finer points of city planner Bill Johnston's recommended changes. One of the biggest changes in the new zoning ordinance is the elimination of the PUD, or Planned Unit Development district. The PUD was in the zoning ordinance to take care of large tracts that might have residential and commercial components. But Johnston said no applications have been filed in recent years for the district, so he advocates eliminating it. Johnston recommended eliminating the R-20 zoning district, which would allow half-acre lots. Since the smaller lots can be built in the city's open space zoning category, he did not see the need for this classification. Johnston also said the council needed to add a conceptual site plan in its land development ordinance. "This allows major developments to come before the city early on," he said. The planner also advocated a punchlist, so that both city leaders and developers could see the timelines for when specific items needed to be submitted. The changes in the ordinances have been evaluated by the Planning Commission and will be forwarded to the City Council after Tuesday's public hearing. City administrator Murray McAfee said the council is working toward getting all the changes passed by July 1, so the city's moratorium can be lifted.
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