The city adopted the Comprehensive Plan in June of this year and with that adoption, came a number of things the city will do as it relates to the plan. At the top of the list was a new zoning district called the Resort Commercial District. It was felt that a district should be established that encompasses the types of land uses that we see with this type of use. Previously we have had several districts that didn’t mesh as well as they should have given the type of land uses we see.
The Planning Commission has work diligently on this for some time and recently adopted a change to the ordinance to make that addition. Within the next month or so we’ll make the physical changes to the zoning map to categorize all properties that fall within that designation.
Another change that has occurred is that of renaming a couple of districts. This was done to better characterize the present and future use of the land. This established the Urban Reserve District and the Conservation-Open Space Districts. In these instances the previous Agricultural Zone and the Open Zone were changed in designations but rezoning of the land will not occur.
Two items have been taken care of but there are many more to go. They include: Creating an Airport District with the help of the Airport Association, Creating an Estate Lot Zoning District, Rezoning un-sewered R-3 to R-2, establishing Landscaping and Screening standards, reworking the Subdivision Ordinance, reworking the Zoning Ordinance in a different format, creating a Shoreland Management Overlay District and a Campground Zoning District.
These, as you can imagine, take time to work through. The Planning Commission also has periodic land use applications for consideration and review. Moving these goals along are priorities for the city and any input from the public, along the way, is appreciated. In addition if you have interest in the Planning Commission and their activities the city is currently accepting applications for Commissioners. Application forms are available at our website but also available by calling city hall.
