COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Coldwater City Council will be asked on Monday night to introduce an ordinance that will replace the current Zoning Code with a newly organized ClearZoning format by the Detroit area civil engineering and community planning firm of Giffels Webster.
City Manager Keith Baker said in his memo for Monday’s meeting to the Council that “ClearZoning restructures the City’s zoning regulations to be more user-friendly, with hyper-links connecting sections and terms to each other and additional graphics to provide increased clarity on specific definitions or regulations.”
The Planning Commission recommend to the City Council in September that the City’s Zoning Ordinance be updated
as requested.
If introduced and the first reading is approved, the ordinance would be considered for second reading and adoption at the council’s meeting on December 14.
Giffels Webster was brought in almost a year-and-a-half ago after there were numerous frustrations about some of the ordinances and zoning policies that have developed over the years.
Among the issues brought up were landscaping requirements, sidewalks, and sign ordinances.
This mess is a direct result of a city who’s administrators have no idea what they are doing. Reviewing the total city plan and ordinances is a great idea that is needed and was introduced as part of a mayoral challenger just prior to the existing mayor’s taking action on it. At least it is now getting done.