Following a September 19 public hearing, Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) members revised certain zoning regulations on housing density in the Hawleyville Center Design District (HCDD).

P&Z members approved the rule changes unanimously, with Chairman Don Mitchell, Jim Swift, Barbara Manville, Benjamin Toby, and Roy Meadows voting in favor.

No member of the public spoke at the hearing, which preceded the vote.

The rule changes make the HCDD zoning regulations, which were created in 1999, consistent with the Sandy Hook Design District (SHDD) zoning regulations, which were created in 1995.

The zoning rule at issue concerns the permissible size of a residential use, which is located on a second story and above a ground-level commercial use. In effect, the rule changes affect the method used in calculating the maximum amount of residential space allowed in mixed-use developments in a HCDD zone in which a special zoning permit is required.

P&Z members discussed the proposed HCDD zoning rule changes at an August 15 meeting.

The purpose of the Hawleyville Center Design District is to encourage and promote the creation of a neighborhood business district that will include mixed-use activities, improvements, and development typical of a village center. The intent is to promote business activities within the district that will serve the surrounding neighborhoods and, to a lesser degree, accommodate services that are compatible with the district’s proximity to the Exit 9 interchange of Interstate 84.