In an acknowledgment of ongoing new property developments and the potential concerns they might cause, the city of Truesdale has ratified its first planning and zoning law.
Planning and zoning is …
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In an acknowledgment of ongoing new property developments and the potential concerns they might cause, the city of Truesdale has ratified its first planning and zoning law.
Planning and zoning is an arm of government that regulates property development and business activity by classifying private properties into different types of zones that allow different activities. Common types of zones include residential, commercial, and industrial.
The Truesdale Board of Aldermen took the first step to establish that system with an Oct. 12 vote to create a planning and zoning commission, a group of citizen advisors who will guide the city’s planning and zoning rules and act as the first line of review for any future developments.
Aldermen say now is the time to establish planning and zoning because of increased interest in developing (or redeveloping) properties within Truesdale’s boundaries. In the last few years, Truesdale has had:
None of these developments or proposals have caused major conflicts to date, but Truesdale city leaders wouldn’t necessarily have envisioned all of them as ideal for their locations, either. City leaders say that without planning and zoning, they don’t have much power to block development projects that aren’t well suited to the surrounding properties.
Who serves on the P&Z commission?
Aldermen now have to go through the process of actually filling seats on the P&Z commission. Leading up to this vote, city leaders said they’ve been contacting residents to recruit potential commission members.
Members of the commission have to be Truesdale residents and serve as volunteers. The new ordinance directs the mayor and aldermen to appoint at least five and at most 15 citizens to serve on the commission. Members will serve for four-year terms.
The mayor and one alderman may also sit on the commission.
What comes next?
The P&Z commission’s first job will be the lengthy task of building the rest of Truesdale’s planning and zoning rules. That will include a “comprehensive plan” describing Truesdale’s overall goals for future development; a zoning ordinance describing how various properties will be classified and what the rules are for each type of zone; and a map describing the city’s zones as they currently exist.
A lengthy series of public hearings and discussions will likely be required to draft and approve all of those documents. Once complete, the documents will act as a filter that the P&Z commission uses to screen future projects and assess whether they meet Truesdale’s overall goals for orderly development.
Power would ultimately still rest with the board of aldermen to decide whether to approve or deny any proposed project, but the P&Z commission’s recommendations would help guide those decisions.
