FAQs

The Zoning Code is a legal set of rules that sets criteria for how all properties and buildings within the City can be used, built, designed, or changed. Its purpose is to ensure development changes meet the needs and desires of its community members; which is why every community feels unique. 

The Zoning Code is structured by dividing the city into districts and then identifying what elements can occur in each district. The districts are displayed on a Zoning Map. Some elements, such as parking, landscaping, screening, signage, etc., have standards that apply to all or some districts.

Ever wonder how your neighborhood street or cul-de-sac came to be? The Subdivision Code is the Zoning Code’s older sibling and acts as the foundation of how cities form and grow. Cities regulate how land is divided and prepared for development to ensure safe and functional growth for years to come. Subdivision regulations also help the city preserve and protect vital natural resources.

The City is updating its codes now, in part, because the 2040 Comprehensive Plan identified that a thorough review and update to the entire Zoning and Subdivision Code is an important implementation initiative.

These updates will address specific standards that are outdated, difficult to administer, or inconsistent with state regulations. The City’s last all-inclusive rewrite of its Zoning and Subdivision Codes occurred in 1989. While amendments have been made intermittently over that time, a comprehensive overhaul for the modernization of the Zoning and Subdivision Codes is necessary to ensure that the regulations are effectively administered to protect impacts on health, safety, and welfare in the community for the present day.

The 2040 Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2021 and is a document for the city to use as a tool to guide the long-term growth, redevelopment, and overall improvements of the city with a population estimated out to the year 2040. The most recognized part of the Comprehensive Plan is its land use plan, which is regulated through subdivision and zoning.

The 2040 Comprehensive Plan also includes a vision statement, guiding principles, goals, policies, and implementation initiatives that direct cities to take action on related topics to meet the needs of their natural resources, transportation, economic development, housing, parks, utilities, etc.