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Elizabethtown Planning and Development Director Joe Reverman says the city began developing proposed residential zoning text amendments after discussions last year with the Elizabethtown Planning Commission about new developments in the area amidst recent growth.
“And a lot of that was residential developments that have been seen across the country since the Great Recession,” Reverman said. “There’s been a lot of market demand changes since that time, mainly with the increase in apartment projects and the market demand for smaller lots.”
Reverman discussed the proposed amendments during the Elizabethtown City Council’s June 9 work session. He said the goal of the amendments is to align zoning with the city’s comprehensive plan while allowing more flexibility and creativity for developers. He also said the amendments will help eliminate what he calls “unnecessary rezonings” and address housing needs.
“People have asked for rezoning for a zoning district where they don’t need the zoning change to increase density, they just want smaller lot sizes or some other regulation that’s in another zoning district that doesn’t require additional density, and then we want to incentivize certain types of developments and then of course create new housing types to increase supply and increase affordability,” Reverman said.
Proposed changes include amended lot size and setback standards, amended standards for short-term rentals, the creation of Planned Development and Conservation districts, and allowing for residential developments in commercial districts.
“It allows an immediate increase in the potential supply of housing in our community because we have a lot of commercial zone property, so if you just allow residential in that zoning district, you’ve automatically got a lot more land for residential developments, and residential in commercial zoning districts has very limited impact on existing residential areas,” Reverman said.
Contact the Elizabethtown Planning and Development Office for more information.
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