Planned Districts -- Conventional zoning Sample Clauses

Planned Districts -- Conventional zoning allows for an amendment of the zoning classification of land upon application of the governing body or the planning commission. If the proposed amendment affects specific property, the landowner may make application. The procedures set forth above govern the consideration of and action on zoning amendments, generally called rezonings. So long as the decision to rezone is reasonable, in light of the Golden criteria, the rezoning may take place at any point in time. Most commonly, a rezoning is applied for just in advance of development of that property or when a change of use is contemplated as a part of redevelopment of the property. Nothing, however, requires that there be pending development for a rezoning of a particular property to be reasonable. Sometimes properties are rezoned well in advance of any potential development or redevelopment activity. There may be a very valid public purpose for rezoning land substantially before it is ripe for development or redevelopment, and in those instances, the application should be made by the governing body or planning commission. It is generally good planning, however, not to prematurely rezone land to a zoning category other than one that allows its current use or to a use that is imminent. A community can successfully illustrate its vision of how land should be developed, in terms of general uses, through the future land use map of its comprehensive plan. It really does not need to zone land to an anticipated land use well in advance of development to make its community vision for land use known. Generally, a community's development objectives can best be served if it has as much information about contemplated uses, proposed site terrain, location and type of infrastructure being proposed, building arrangement, architectural design and other features of development, as is possible, when it considers a rezoning application. Planned districts are an excellent tool to help in achieving this objective. A community's zoning ordinance can provide that all its zoning districts are planned districts, it can provide a parallel planned district for each or any number of its conventional districts (such as C-1 and C-1/P) or it can create separate planned districts for certain types of development or for development in certain locations. The planned district process ensures this type of information is available to the planning commission and governing body by converting the traditional rezoning process into a two step pr...