Zoning & Procedure

Bob’s view on zoning . . .

Zoning is one of the most important tools a city has to ensure that its neighborhoods grow and develop into what the people want them to be.  Bob firmly believes that zoning regulations should be developed with the will of the people as the guiding principle.  He believes that once established zoning regulations should be uniformly applied.

Bob has proposed that the next Mayor should host a series of community meetings entitled “Norwich: Vision 20/20″ with the intent of documenting the desires of the community to ensure that those desires are accurately reflected in our zoning laws.

More on zoning and legislative procedure . . .

As the presiding officer of the Norwich City Council, the Mayor is responsible for managing the flow of legislation and zoning rules through the City Council.  The job requires a solid understanding of the rules of procedure and the principles that govern how public hearings are supposed to be run.

The City of Norwich is some what unique in that it is one of only a handful of Connecticut municipalities (New Haven and Stamford are the only others I know of) that vest ultimate zoning authority in the City Council as opposed to a separate zoning commission.

This responsibility has, at least in recent years, led to confusion and difficulties. There have been calls for the creation of a zoning commission that can focus exclusively on zoning issues

I don’t believe we need a separate zoning commission. I like the fact that the Council is accountable to people on zoning matters.

In my view the key to improving our zoning procedures is to provide the Council with better training and support. In recent years there has been a sort of mystique about zoning hearings and procedures that has stymied the Council in its efforts to get the best information it can about proposed changes in our zoning rules. Council members have been afraid to engage the public and members of the public has even been advised that they cannot engage the Council for fear of contaminating public hearing.
I propose –

(1) Each year the council should hold a special workshop at the beginning of the legislative season to refresh members on the procedures for making zoning changes.

(2) Public Record Information – the council should allow the public to submit written testimony on proposed zoning rules. All such written testimony should be entered into the public hearing record and considered before zoning decisions are made.

(3) The Council should require that all materials needed for appropriate review to make a knowledgeable decision must be submitted at least five days before the scheduled public hearing. If necessary information is not submitted in a timely fashion, the Council should either not consider the information submitted or deny the application if necessary.

(4) Whenever zoning issues are addressed by the Council the meeting minutes from the Council meeting should be distributed to the members of the Commission on the City Plan and the Zoning Board of Appeals so that they know that Council has taken action. The meeting minutes should be detailed enough to clearly communicate the Council’s reasoning on particular zoning matters.

Zoning decisions impact the character of our neighborhoods and the quality of life enjoyed by individuals throughout the community. The Council and the public need to be better informed about how zoning decisions are, can and should be made.