MOUNT VERNON – The city hired a consultant to analyze changes to its zoning regulations, but now it wants residents to share their concerns and opinions.
Mount Vernon started modernizing its planning, zoning and subdivision regulations to ensure that it can accommodate strategic growth that meets its goals and those of its residents.
A zoning consultant is helping to assess the need for changes to the existing zoning code. But now it’s time for residents and business owners to tell city officials how they want regulations revised. They want to hear about ongoing needs and concerns.
“We're asking citizens to take a survey in providing us feedback in terms of how we want to design our zoning code for the next few years,” Mayor Matt Starr told the Mount Vernon News.
A survey has been prepared to help gather those opinions and is posted online.
Zoning code ordinances are used to establish how the land can be used, the types of housing and businesses allowed, the density of development, and site design elements such as signage, landscaping, architecture, parking and access.
The audit summarized the strengths and weaknesses of the existing regulations in terms of usability, organization and substantive standards. Options for improvement were included for the City Council. A proposal outlining how to reorganize the zoning code to improve usability by staff, residents, business owners and city officials was included in the audit.
The city last made a comprehensive update to its zoning code in 1992. The world has changed quite a bit since then, Starr said. The survey will allow the public to weigh in and think about how the city needs to handle the next 30 years from a housing standpoint, on signage, accessory structures and everything else.
Economic development is one of the top five things stakeholders in the city want to address. Starr said housing is very much an economic development issue. The zoning code update is crucial to ensure the city is responsive.
The zoning code audit can be found on the city’s website.
