Lyon County officials are continuing their work to adjust the latest draft of zoning regulations.
Zoning and Floodplain Administrator Sam Seeley says the focus now is splitting the requirements for Emporia residents and Lyon County residents not in the city limits. The original thought was to have a combined set of regulations, but it’s becoming more apparent a split may be best.
Last week, county commissioners directed the Planning and Appeals Board to review the document and make changes towards that end. This followed the Planning and Appeals Board’s 4-2 vote not to recommend the draft after lengthy public comment at its August meeting. The current timetable has the board bringing that back for discussion at its Oct. 14 meeting, with a meeting dedicated to public comment in November.
Since the comprehensive plan was approved in 2017 and work began on the zoning regs, Seeley has maintained there have been a lot of misconceptions about the regulations. One of the big ones is landscaping regulations for the city, which are in place so construction projects don’t become eyesores once they are finished. These regulations don’t apply to county residents, but a lot of people believe they do.
The regulations are currently into their fourth draft.
