The Gloucester County Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on the proposed zoning ordinance update at 7 o’clock tonight, Thursday, July 11, in the colonial courthouse. Every property owner in the county was sent a notification letter about the zoning ordinance update, which also provided the time, date and location of tonight’s public hearing.
The zoning ordinance update has been a four-year work-in-progress that aims to relax regulations and make the document “easier for people to use,” according to Planning, Zoning & Environmental Programs Director Anne Ducey-Ortiz, AICP.
The new proposed document is designed to be easily readable by realtors, developers and property owners. The zoning ordinance has been reformatted and every use is now defined for clarity.
“Not a lot has changed,” said Ducey-Ortiz.
The biggest proposed change is in the Business-2 (B-2) district. If approved, the rewrite will allow up to eight dwelling units per acre in the B-2 Village Business District without a special approval process and up to 12 dwelling units per acre with a special approval process. As of now, B-2 only allows residential units associated with a commercial business.
The zoning ordinance update will also allow for “more home-business types,” said Ducey-Ortiz.
Another change is the allowance of agriculture uses in the rural residential districts by a special approval process. These districts include Bayside Conservation (C-2) and Suburban Countryside (SC-1). Agriculture is currently not permitted in these districts unless it is a grandfathered use.
The special approval process is to “make sure it’s compatible with the residential,” said Ducey-Ortiz. This way, neighbors will be notified of the proposed use and can bring up any questions or concerns about how the agriculture use could affect them or their property.
One concern that planning and zoning staff has recently addressed with concerned residents is camping on one’s own property. These regulations have actually been relaxed, according to Ducey-Ortiz.
In the new update, property owners are allowed to camp on their own property with invited guests for personal use and enjoyment with no permit required. However, there are certain restrictions, including only being able to camp for only one week at a time. Camping also cannot exceed 30 days within a calendar year.
Much of the zoning ordinance is not changing, including the zoning district map, the minimum lot sizes for residential districts and the minimum setbacks for residential districts.
“It’s not changing taxes at all,” said Ducey-Ortiz about the update. “Fees are staying the same.”
During tonight’s meeting, planning and zoning staff will present a summary of the zoning ordinance update. Residents will then be able to express their opinions and concerns about the update during public comment period.
“We do encourage public comment,” said Ducey-Ortiz.
For those who cannot attend the meeting in-person and would like to share their thoughts, they can submit their comments online at gloucesterva.info/citizencomment or call and leave a message at 804-824-2760. Residents must provide their name and magisterial district at the beginning of their comments. Comments submitted must be received by 4:30 p.m. this afternoon.
Ducey-Ortiz emphasized that the zoning ordinance update is not final and is still subject to change. After the Planning Commission gives its recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, the update must be approved by the board before it takes effect. The board is required to hold its own public hearing on the update before voting on it.
“If people don’t want certain things, they should let their board know,” said Ducey-Ortiz.
Tonight’s meeting can be viewed on Cox channel 48 or livestreamed online through the Gloucester County Meeting Portal.
The final draft of the zoning ordinance update can be viewed digitally at gloucesterva.gov/planning-zoning/zoning-ordinance-update. Physical copies of the update are available at both Gloucester County Public Library locations.