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AYE.[*This meeting was joined in progress*]
[City Planning Commission on May 7, 2026.]
SUSIE PECK.A NUMBER TWO REPORT PETITION OF JOHN AND CINDY TO OWN PROPERTY WEST MAIN STREET AND FIVE WEST MAIN STREET FROM R FIVE TWO RESIDENCE DISTRICT TO R THREE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDE.
YOU? YEAH, YOU DON'T KNOW THAT YET.
WE GOTTA GET IT ON THE, I DIDN'T MAKE THE MOTION FOR THAT.
READY FOR THE STAFF REPORT? OKAY.
THE SUBJECT SITE IS APPROXIMATELY A HALF ACRE IN SIZE AND CONSISTS OF TWO VACANT LOTS.
IT IS CURRENTLY ZONED R FIVE TWO FAMILY RESIDENCE.
THE PETITIONER PROPOSES TO REONE THE SITE FROM R FIVE TWO FAMILY RESIDENCE TO R THREE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE DISTRICT TO ALLOW FOR A FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF A GARAGE.
SO THERE'S THE MAP AND THEN THERE'S THE MAP WITH THE ZONING.
ANY FUTURE DEVELOPMENT ON THIS SITE WILL REQUIRE A SITE PLAN SUBMITTED TO THE CITY FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ECONOMIC AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT PRIOR TO THE ISSUE OF BUILDING PERMITS.
SO THE SURROUNDING ZONING DISTRICTS INCLUDE R THREE SINGLE FAMILY DISTRICT TO THE NORTH, SOUTH, AND EAST, AND R SIX MULTIPLE DWELLING DISTRICTS TO THE WEST.
ACCORDING TO THE MACON COUNTY AND CITY OF DECATUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
THIS AREA IS DESIGNATED FOR RESIDENTIAL LOW DENSITY.
THE PROPOSED R THREE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE ZONING WILL BE COMPATIBLE AND CONSISTENT WITH THE ZONING AND USES.
THE SUBJECT SITE IS LOCATED WITHIN A RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT AREA AND THE PROPOSED REZONING FROM R FIVE TWO FAMILY RESIDENCE DISTRICT TO R THREE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE DISTRICT IS NOT EXPECTED TO HAVE AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON THE SURROUNDING AREA OR THE CITY AS A WHOLE.
STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE REZONING REQUEST.
IN FAVOR, YOU STEP FORWARD AND STATE ION FORWARD AND STATE YOUR NAME.
APPEARANCE OF CITIZENS POLICY ONE TWO.
APPEARANCE OF CITIZENS 15 MINUTE TIME PERIOD IS PROVIDED FOR CITIZENS TO APPEAR AND EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS BEFORE THE PLAN COMMISSION MEMBERS.
EACH CITIZEN WHO APPEARS WILL BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES.
NO IMMEDIATE RESPONSE WILL BE GIVEN BY THE COMMISSION MEMBERS OR CITY STAFF MEMBERS.
ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS?
YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING, STEVE? THE ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO SAY IS, UH, IN FACT I HAVE A MEETING RIGHT AFTER THIS.
UH, THE CITY IS GETTING READY TO CONTRACT OUT TO HAVE A BRAND NEW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, UH, AND A BRAND NEW ZONING ORDINANCE WRITTEN, UH, OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
SO IF YOU WERE THINKING OF GOING TO BERMUDA, YOU MIGHT WANT TO RETHINK THAT FOR A LITTLE WHILE BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO NEED PARTICIPATION.
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LIKE TO HAVE THE PLANNING COMMISSION PRETTY INTIMATELY INVOLVED SO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT DECISIONS WERE MADE IN THE COMP PLAN AND HAVE INPUT, AND EQUALLY IMPORTANTLY, WHAT DECISIONS GREW OUT OF THAT INTO THE ZONING ORDINANCE AS IT GETS IMPLEMENTED SO THAT YOU HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THAN YOU MIGHT OF THE 2009 PLAN OR A ZONING ORDINANCE THAT HAS TEXT FROM THE EIGHTIES AND NINETIES.UM, THE IDEA IS WE'RE GONNA TRY TO MAKE THIS A LITTLE MORE USER FRIENDLY, UM, BUT A LITTLE MORE PROGRESSIVE.
SO I WANTED TO WARN YOU AHEAD OF TIME, YOU WANNA GET YOUR RESIGNATION LETTERS IN ORDER, WHATEVER.
UM, WE, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A SERIES OF VERY INTENSIVE, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS.
AND I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT EVERYBODY NEEDS TO ATTEND EVERY ONE, BUT ANYTIME YOU CAN ATTEND AS A PLANNING COMMISSIONER, SEE WHAT COMES OUT OF THOSE, SEE WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY, SEE WHAT ISSUES WE'RE RUNNING INTO, UH, WE WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT.
ANY QUESTIONS? WHEN DOES THAT PROCESS START?
UH, THE GOAL IS TO BRING THE CONTRACT IN FRONT OF COUNSEL, THE FIRST MEETING IN JUNE.
UM, OR MAYBE THE SECOND, DEPENDING ON HOW WE GO THROUGH THAT.
UM, YET THIS SUMMER, UH, END OF JUNE, FIRST PART OF JULY, UH, WITH A, WITH A BIGGER PUSH IN THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, I AM ASSUMING THAT WE'LL START, UH, PROBABLY IN SEPTEMBER ONCE WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PEOPLE BEING ON VACATIONS, YOU KNOW, THE KIDS ARE BACK IN SCHOOL, THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH THE CONTRACT.
WE ARE HOPING, UM, TO HAVE A FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT, WHAT WE CALL YOUTH VISIONING, WHERE WE WILL ACTUALLY TAKE SOME OF THIS TO THE SCHOOLS, TO THE 13, 14, 15 YEAR OLDS.
UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO WERE 13, 14, 15 WHEN THE LAST ONE WAS DONE, MAYBE IN THEIR THIRTIES NOW MIGHT BE IN A POSITION TO BE ON A PLANNING COMMISSION OR A CITY COUNCIL.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, IF WE CAN GET THE KIDS EXCITED, UM, I I'M GONNA USE THE KIDS TO ARM TWIST, MOM, DAD, AUNT, UNCLE, GRANDMA, GRANDPA TO COME INTO THE PUBLIC HEARING MEETINGS.
'CAUSE IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY NO TO A NAGGING 14-YEAR-OLD.
I SEEN THAT THE STATE IS INTERESTED NOW IN MULTIPLE ZONING ISSUES AND TAKE AWAY FROM, UH, MULTIPLE AUTHORITIES TO MAKE THE ZONING DECISIONS.
IS THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE? PARDON? DOES THAT FACTOR INTO PLAN HERE? WELL, I I MEAN OBVIOUSLY IF THE STATE CHANGES SOME THINGS, THE STATE IS TALKING ABOUT THIS AND IT'S NOT JUST THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
UM, THERE HAS BEEN A GROWING PUSH RELATED TO HOUSING AFFORDABILITY, UM, FOR A LOT OF AREAS TO QUESTION WHETHER, UM, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, LOCAL ZONING ORDINANCES, LOCAL PLANS HAVE MADE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY WORSE.
UM, AND, AND THE HONEST ANSWER IS SOMETIMES YES.
UM, I THINK A KNEE JERK REACTION TO TAKE AWAY ALL OF THAT.
AND IT'S NOT NECESSARILY TAKING AWAY ALL, WHAT THEY WOULD PROBABLY TAKE AWAY IS YOUR ABILITY TO MOST OF THESE, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT DONE TILL IT'S DONE, BUT MOST OF WHAT'S GOING THROUGH THIS AND VARIOUS OTHER STATES ARE THINGS LIKE, ALL RIGHT, SO DUPLEXES ARE ALLOWED IN ANY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT, UM, ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS ARE ALLOWED IN ANY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT.
UM, NOT THAT YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO ZONE THINGS RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL OR ANY OF THAT, UM, BUT THERE IS A CONVERSATION GOING.
AND LIKE I SAID, I CAN, YOU KNOW, FOR EVERY CASE THAT YOU CAN COME UP WITH WHERE OUR ORDINANCE DIDN'T MAKE ANYTHING ANY WORSE, I CAN SHOW YOU AN ORDINANCE IN ILLINOIS OR IN CALIFORNIA OR IN NEW YORK OR WHEREVER YOU WANNA PICK, WHERE IT DID ARGUABLY MAKE THE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY ISSUE WORSE.
UM, SO THEY'RE JUST SIMPLY LOOKING AT IT.
WE'RE STILL GONNA GO AHEAD BECAUSE WE WILL STILL HAVE PLANNING AND ZONING REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE STATE DOES.
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JUST IS THERE GONNA BE DIGITAL IS LIKE GIS BASED OR ANYTHING? SO IF YOU DON'T MIND, I BETTER, SORRY.UM, WE WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT GOING THROUGH SOME OF THAT STUFF.
UM, WHILE I WOULD LOVE TO TELL YOU THAT EVERYTHING IS GONNA CHANGE FOR GIS SYSTEMS, UM, BUT FROM YOUR STANDPOINT, ANTICIPATE USER FRIENDLY DOCUMENT.
UM, THE FIRM YOU SELECTED IS FOR HAVING, I WANNA SAY THIS, UM, A LITTLE MORE CONCISE, VISUALLY TRYING TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT THE AVERAGE I WAS TRYING TO GET YOU
SO YES, WE, WE ARE, WE ARE GONNA TRY TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT IS, IS MORE USER FRIENDLY BECAUSE THE INTENT IS NOT TO HIDE THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FROM THE PUBLIC.
FROM OUR PLANNING COMMISSIONERS, FROM OUR COUNCIL, WE WANNA MAKE IT READABLE.
UM, NOT SOMETHING THAT PUTS YOU TO SLEEP IN THREE PAGES.
WE WANT THIS TO, TO BE UNDERSTANDABLE, UM, AND FROM A DIGITAL STANDPOINT, UM, IT SHOULD BE EASIER TO USE AND MORE SEARCHABLE IN TERMS OF PUTTING SOME OF THAT STUFF INTO GIS.
THAT'S A, THAT'S KIND OF A SEPARATE PROCESS.
UH, THAT DATA HAS TO BE LOADED IN SEPARATELY.
WE WILL PROBABLY HAVE IT, UH, IN TERMS OF SHAPE FILES, WHICH ARE WHAT GIS USES.
UM, WHETHER IT IST FULLY LOADED IMMEDIATELY INTO OUR GIS SYSTEM IS IS A DIFFERENT DISCUSSION.
SEE WHEN I WALK AWAY IT'S NOT ON THE RECORD.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK FOR TIME, UM, BEING HERE ASSIST WITH THIS, UH, BECAUSE WE NEED IT.