The Emporia-Lyon County Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals is moving full steam ahead on finalizing the city of Emporia’s new zoning regulations.
During their monthly meeting Tuesday evening, commissioners resumed conversations on the document after a two-month pause initiated by the Emporia City Commission in August. City commissioners halted the process to allow for an outside review of the document saying the review process had taken entirely too long.
Planning Commissioner Dan Colson stated at that time there was some confusion as to the need for the review. Tuesday night, he stated that confusion has yet to be cleared up in his opinion.
Commissioners spent a lengthy amount of time discussing the next steps in the process including the possibility of holding additional meetings with city staff to which commissioners ultimately decided against. Ultimately, Planning Commission Chair Kenton Thomas stated the commission needs to “stay the course,” finalize the document and “lay it at the city’s feet.”
To that end, Thomas proposed a special Planning Commission study session be held in the near future.
An exact date for the study session is still to be determined. Commissioners did agree that a section of the regulations pertaining to regulating districts should be outright removed from the plans.
Thomas and Colson both agreed the district’s simply added an unnecessary layer of complexity and confusion.
In other business, commissioners approved a preliminary plat for the Flint Hills Crossing development set to be located west of the Flint Hills Technical College main campus. The 7.5-acre project is set to bring Quick Trip to Emporia and will include the construction of two new roadways in the area providing access to the development.
The item will next go before Emporia City Commissioners for final approval.
Planning commissioners will reconvene for their monthly meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 6 pm inside of the Municipal Courtroom at White Auditorium.
