Workshop may improve zoning

An audit of zoning ordinances may result easier to comprehend regulations in Green River.

Earlier this year, the city’s community development department received a grant to host the Smart Growth Zoning Codes for Small Cities workshop. The city was one of 18 communities selected to have the workshop and regulation audit.

Laura Leigh, director of the community development department, said what initially interested her in applying for the Smart Growth grant is how the program’s principles were aligned with the city’s comprehensive plan and data gathered from the community assessment.

Leigh said the audit may help the city ultimately develop better zoning regulations. She said regulations can’t be changed without public hearings conducted by the city’s planning and zoning board and the city council.

“It’s not just ‘we’re going to get ideas and change things,’” she said.

However, she said the benefit of the audit involved learning where regulations can be improved to be more user friendly. Leigh said many zoning regulations were adopted in a boilerplate fashion, with regulations being implemented regardless of how well they initially fit with a city. Additionally, many downtowns, including Green River’s, were built before the advent of zoning regulations, requiring many residents living or conducting business in those sections to seek zoning variances for improvements.

One of the red flags she sees is the number of variances needed by residents to do that what they’d like with their properties. She said heavy reliance on zoning variances can be a sign that the zoning codes are more red tape and work to navigate for residents than needed.

She also said a review of the ordinances can help with generational differences in zoning needs. While those born in the baby boomer generation may prefer to have their properties utilized in a specific manner, members of Generation X and millennials may have different needs.

Some of the principals Smart Growth follows includes creating a range of housing opportunities, preserving open spaces and critical environmental as well as making development decisions predictable, fair and cost effective.

After the public workshop tonight, community development staff, along with members of the city’s planning and zoning board, will take part in a day-long session with Smart Growth planners to discuss the city’s zoning ordinances in depth.