The Grovetown City Council approved moving forward with changes to the form-based zoning code.
Ronnie Kurtz, director of planning and community development for the city, told council members there have been several public meeting sessions about the changes, including at the planning commission last month. The planning commissioners recommended approval of the changes to the code.
When the city first started working on the changes to the code, four main goals were established. These goals are:
- -To restore traditional residential zoning districts similar to the existing R-2 and R-3 standards
- – To restore standard commercial zoning districts, with overlay standards applicable to the City’s main thoroughfares along Wrightsboro Road and Robinson Avenue.
- -Modify landscaping standards to allow for removal of trees from single family lots and set minimum density standards
- -Codify density limits for multifamily and townhome developments
“The most significant change incorporated by the new ordinance is the redesignation and consolidation of those old form-based code zoning districts,” Kurtz said.
For residential zoning, the draft currently keeps the zoning districts residential (R)-1, R-2, and R-3 districts the same as the old one. The new zoning districts combine the city center (CC)-6 and CC-7 into R-C1, combines CC-5, R-4, R-355, and CC-4 into R-C2, and changes CC-4 to R-HD.
According to a handout, R-C1 is for lower density residential development, which includes single-family detached or two-family dwellings. R-C2 is for a variety of housing types, which includes single-family detached and single-family attached dwelling units “at a density not greater than 10 units per gross acre.” R-HD is for areas for high density residential development, such as single-family dwellings and multiple-family dwellings.
“There will be no undeveloped land within the city, however, that is designated this distinction (R-HD),” Kurtz said. “Property owners may have the option to apply for a rezoning to this district for any new development and it would be up to city council to approve it affirmatively for any individual project.”
For commercial zoning, the new zoning district combines C-1, CC-1, and CC-3 into NC – Neighborhood Commercial, and combines CC-8 (public, city-owned land), CC-2, C-2, and C-4 to GC – General Commercial.
Neighborhood commercial (NC) is for small scale commercial uses, including retail sales, personal services and recreational and institutional establishments. General commercial (GC) is for areas of amusement, specialized sales and travel accommodations activities, according to information presented at the meeting.
The industrial district zoning district combines M-1 and M-2 into M-Industrial. M-Industrial is for areas for manufacturing, assembling, fabricating, warehousing and related activities, according to information from the meeting. The special district zoning changes PUDD into PUD (Planned Unit Development).
“We have also placed a lot of time in updating the Planned United Development standards making them much more thorough and proscriptive from the get go so as to put everybody’s expectations in a clear place up front,” Kurtz said. “They still regardless will required a rezoning and approval from city council in every case moving forward.”
A draft of the zoning map and additional information can be found on the City of Grovetown website.
Council members approved the first reading of ordinance 2023-04-03 to adopt the revised and restated comprehensive zoning ordinance for the city. The second reading will take place at the Grovetown City Council meeting on Monday, May 8.
The council also approved resolution 2023-04-02, which is a resolution for residential development moratorium extension. Kurtz said when the city started working on the rezoning, a moratorium was issued for residential development projects, such as apartments, until the revisions could be complete. The moratorium was for six months and will be up this month, so Kurtz was asking for an extension until the changes can be approved at the second reading next month.
