County begins zoning process

To kick off the process of developing a possible zoning plan for the county, the commission has invited a community planning and zoning consultant to do the necessary groundwork of figuring out exactly what the county wants and needs.

Jayna Watson brought a questionnaire to last week’s meeting that was intended to assess what each commissioner wants from the zoning rules.

“The next step will be for me to write a scope of work for a planning consultant, who will be bringing to you a process and project that reflects your desires,” she said.

The process rests on the county’s Land Use Plan, which was adopted in 2014. This document describes the general goals for how property is used throughout the county.

For these goals to be translated into enforceable rules, the county will also need a zoning map and a zoning ordinance. The map will need to be color coded and labeled to show zoning districts: property in the county where various uses are allowed, such as agriculture, housing, commercial and so on.

The ordinance will meanwhile provide written regulations for each of those districts, and typically list a variety of land uses allowed in each district and rules for how the county will administer and enforce the ordinance.

Watson’s questionnaire was intended to guide the efforts of the future planning consultant who will create these things and update the existing Land Use Plan.

She asked each of the commissioners to fill out the questionnaire, which began by asking what the most important issues are that each one would like to see addressed.

Watson also asked the commission to share thoughts on how stringent the rules should be – ranging from landowners being able to use their property with no regulation to clear written rules governing uses and development – and also how flexible.

She requested input on permanent open spaces, how zoning should be applied and concerns over the use of zoning as a land management tool.

Using these answers, Watson will create a written description of the tasks that must be completed by the planning consultant, who will prepare the plan update and create the zoning ordinance.

“I want the scope of work to be very spot on to what you’re expecting,” Watson said.

The next task, she told the commission, will be a formal written invitation to planning consulting firms, asking them to provide a fee and schedule for completion. Once these have been screened, the county will select a consultant to commence the process, which will begin with public input sessions.

Watson is expected to return with the scope of work document at November’s meeting.