AGENDA #8

 

MEMORANDUM

 

to: 

Mayor and Town Council

from:

Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager

subject:

Proposed Rezoning to Create a Neighborhood Conservation District for the Coker Hills Neighborhood

date:

October 8, 2007

 

PURPOSE

 

Tonight, the Council considers the enactment of an Ordinance to amend the Zoning Atlas to create a Neighborhood Conservation District for the Coker Hills neighborhood. 

 

The purpose of this cover memorandum [to the staff memorandum] is to forward my recommendation to the Council.

 

MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION

 

I believe creating a Neighborhood Conservation District for the Coker Hills neighborhood is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and the Land Use Management Ordinance.  My recommendation is that the Council enact the attached Ordinance approving the proposed Zoning Atlas Amendment.

 

A recommended Neighborhood Conservation District Plan for the Coker Hills neighborhood is also included (please see Attachment 4).  The Neighborhood Conservation District Plan details the guidelines for the Neighborhood Conservation District and the boundary.  If approved by the Town Council, this Plan would be incorporated as part of the Land Use Management Ordinance, and would be subject to modification in the same manner as any other amendment to the Zoning Atlas. 

 

Alternately, based on feedback from several citizens of the Coker Hills neighborhood at the Public Hearing, the Council could choose to enact a Neighborhood Conservation District with limited standards that was a Manager’s Preliminary Recommendation presented to the Council in May, 2006.  The 2006 limited standards would: (1) increase the minimum lot size to .6 acre; and 2) permit an accessory apartment with every single-family dwelling.  This proposal is a compromise that offers protection against the subdivision of large lots.  The limited guidelines would also not prohibit property owners from making alterations to their homes beyond that allowed with the existing Residential-1 zoning. 

 

The Council could also choose to vote against the proposed Neighborhood Conservation District because it does not appear that neighborhood consensus about this proposal has been achieved. Voting against the proposal would mean that there would not be a Neighborhood Conservation District for the Coker Hills neighborhood. 

 

After the Public Hearing, the Council received a comment from a citizen via email requesting that the Council consider delaying the effective date of the new zoning to six months from the date of approval.   According to the email, it was the intent of the Consensus Committee that the effective date should be six months from the approval date so that property owners with renovation plans underway could secure a building permit and not be subject to the new Neighborhood Conservation District guidelines.  If the Council agrees, the effective date could be delayed until April 8, 2007.   This change would need to be made in Attachment 4, Coker Hills Neighborhood Conservation District Plan.