Don't piss off your Planning Commissioners
Further adventures in P&Z
Administrative rezones are usually a no-brainer for your average planning commissioner.
Landowners, however, can complicate the process to the point of absurdity.
Planning Commissioners are volunteers. We are average citizens who are either appointed, or nominated and elected, by city council. We bring the love of our place and neighborhoods to the position. Most are unpaid; some receive a small stipend. We all want to make decisions in the best interest of our communities.
Sometimes property owners make that very difficult.
Back to the administrative rezone.
Months ago (really, months ago) the city brought one to our attention. A swath of land had somehow gone un-zoned for about 50 years.
The property is in an older neighborhood that has been severed from easy access to the city center by railroad tracks, a highway, and a light rail system.
The neighborhood also became a de facto area to put industrial uses. It is not exaggerating to say the neighborhood has been abused by past decisions. It became the ‘other side of the tracks.’
City planning staff came up with a very appropriate zone designation that would prevent medium to heavy industrial use and gave the owner flexibility on how it could be developed.
Enter the owner.
He was pissed.
The owner’s goals were very much not in line with the community and the neighborhood. His vision was to use the land to store trucks, pool installation equipment, and chemicals on the site. Basically turn it into a depot.
Did I mention, he doesn't live in our community. He lives about 15 miles to the north in a much wealthier suburb. He would not have to live with the eyesore he wanted to create.
He was belligerent, a bully, and a generally unpleasant person. He insulted every member of the commission and the city staff. He also came very close to being ejected from the meeting.
By the end, none of us wanted to deal with him let alone give him the zoning designation he wanted.
We tabled it to the next month. During the interim, staff spent time attempting to negotiate with the land owner.
It was deferred again the next month.
So, finally it came before us again.
Guess what…
It was given the zoning designation that was first brought to the commission four months earlier.
If you have to bring a permit, variance, or zoning request to your commission, don’t be that guy.