Published: May 14, 2008 02:22 pm            

Council looking into zoning

Mayor calling for council to be proactive; committee formed to study the issue

By PAUL LORENZ

paul.lorenz@mcleansborotimesleader.com

McLEANSBORO — The City Council formed a committee Tuesday night as it continues to consider setting up zoning regulations for the city.

Aldermen Mike Stanart and Dennis Crain will look into what other nearby communities do in regard to zoning, council discussion indicated.

“Zoning” refers to a regulatory process which designates specific allowable uses for specific properties or groups of properties in a community.

With the prospect of new coal mines in Hamilton County and an accompanying potential increase in population, Mayor Dick Deitz said last month he feels the council needs to be more proactive about zoning. The city currently has no formal zoning regulations.

Last month, Mt. Vernon attorneys Tim Neubauer and Scott Quinn gave the council a broad overview of the legal ins and outs of zoning.

If the city does adopt zoning regulations, all current uses of property would be “grandfathered in,” Neubauer noted. Over time, he said, as the use of those particular properties change on their own, the council can make changes to form a “uniform district.”

Tuesday night, Stanart suggested getting a copy of a community’s zoning laws to use as an outline.

“Zoning is not something that we can just hop right into until we learn more about it,” Crain said.

        

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