Earlier this month, the Emporia City Commission decided to have an outside law firm review the city’s zoning regulations, which have been in a creation, adaptation and review process the past three years. Members of the Emporia-Lyon County Metropolitan Area Planning Commission took issue with that step during their monthly meeting last night.
The process began with a review and original set of new zoning regulations from Urban Collaborative, followed by tweaks from the Planning Commission and a legal review from consultant Jim Kaup. City commissioners decided to put the current process on hold, saying the process is taking too long and this is a good time to determine if the city document is in line with state law.
Planning Commission member Dan Colson says the City Commission decision calls into question whether the outside law firm’s review focuses on the document as adapted by the Planning Commission or the document as originally submitted by Urban Collaborative. He asked the City Commission for clear direction on which path to follow.
Besides the legality question, City Commissioner Jamie Sauder says his one of his concerns is the codes as adapted may not support the comprehensive plan.
Colson admits there aren’t a lot of major changes between the zoning regulation sets, but he says the Planning Commission has been doing its best to tailor the regulations so they apply for city residents, not other areas of the county. He also says the Urban Collaborative original plan on districting could aggravate socioeconomic stratification among other concerns.
Formal discussions will resume after the current review process is finalized.
