DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — The Decatur City Council once again delayed the vote on a rewrite to the current zoning ordinance to redevelop Downtown Decatur.
It’s been nearly 70 years since the city updated its existing zoning code and without a planning director in place, some council members believe they should further delay voting on a rewrite until that position is filled.
During the regular city council meeting on Nov. 4, Councilman Billy Jackson suggested that it would be best to hire a search firm to find candidates for the planning director position. The city has not had a planning director in over a decade.
A unanimous vote is needed to approve the zoning rewrite, but Decatur City Council President Jacob Ladner and fellow city leaders agree that it would be best to table the vote.
“The thought was why don’t we postpone it a few months to see if that person is on board they can at least take a look at the new zoning ordinance and make any changes that they feel like need to be made and then we can get it implemented,” Ladner told News 19. “I think we did that and put it in March so if we’re not close to getting a planning director at that time we’ll probably go ahead and adopt it.”
The purpose of the zoning ordinance revision is to address the city’s redesign developments and proper landscape use for those designs.
A coalition of Decatur residents who take an interest in how the city is operated perceived the rewrite as a rush to improve the city. Those same people have also raised concerns over various points of interest in the rewrite including renter’s rights and build-to-rent properties.
The city cannot move forward with any future redevelopment until that ordinance is passed by the council which is now expected to be voted on in early March.
