A zoning ordinance is the adopted law of a city that regulates land use, growth, and development. It divides the city into different zoning districts and generally governs the location, size, and type of development in each district. A zoning ordinance also establishes the process for reviewing development proposals and includes standards for different aspects of development, like parking, landscaping, lighting, signage, building design, and environmental impacts.
Decatur’s zoning ordinance was published in 1987, and several portions date back to the 1950’s. Large parts of the ordinance are outdated and difficult to use. The ordinance does not reflect recent policy direction found in the City’s plans or make use of many best practices of modern planning and zoning techniques. The purpose of the zoning ordinance revision is to address all these issues, resulting in a set of regulations that are user-friendly, modern, and in-line with the policy direction in the City’s newly-adopted comprehensive plan, One Decatur.
The rewrite process is expected to take approximately 18-20 months to complete and will involve multiple opportunities for the community to provide input and feedback into the draft regulations.
The process is in Task 3
Draft Zoning Ordinance Modules
Module 1 Public Review Draft (provide comments using the form below)
Ordinance Assessment
Zoning Ordinance Assessment Public Review Draft
Zoning Code Public Kick-off
Public Kick-off Meeting Summary Results
Public Kick-off Meeting Presentation (November 8, 2018)
Current Zoning Documents
Current zoning map (after opening, click on layers, then select “Decatur zoning”)
Current zoning ordinance (links to Chapter 25 of City Code)
The first installment of the new draft ordinance is now available for public review.
Provide comments below
Comment on the Draft Zoning Ordinance Part 1
Module 1 is now available for public review and comment. It includes four of the eight articles in the new zoning ordinance, including general provisions, administration (procedures for application submittal and review), development standards (parking, landscaping, exterior lighting, etc.), and enforcement provisions. It does not include zoning district regulations, use regulations, rules for nonconformities, or rules for measurement and interpretation, which will be drafted in Module 2.
To help the team review and address comments, please specify the section or topic within the Draft Module to which your comment applies. If you have multiple unrelated comments, please submit them individually. You can submit as many comments as necessary.
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