The last time Lynchburg’s zoning ordinance was thoroughly updated, its current city planner, Tom Martin, was 7 years old.
"As you can imagine, a lot of things in there aren’t relevant anymore," said Martin, who’s now a respectable 40. "We need to make sure the ordinance is still relevant to today and is still a good tool for implementing the city’s comprehensive plan," he said. "So we want to try and identify where we might be falling short in that." The city launched a zoning "diagnostic" to assess its circa-1978 ordinance and map out a course for future revisions. As part of that effort, it will be hosting a slew of public meetings Monday and Tuesday to collect comments about current zoning laws. Participants will be asked to weigh in on what works and what doesn’t. "We’re just trying to get people’s general feel for things," said Martin. "What should we be changing? What should we leave alone?" To encourage public participation, meetings are scheduled at several times and locations. Each session will be led by an outside consultant, Mike Chandler of Planning Works, who’s been hired to make an objective analysis of the city’s ordinance. Chandler’s final report is scheduled to go to the Lynchburg Planning Commission by the end of February and onto City Council in March. The planning commission has been lobbying for a comprehensive rewrite of the zoning ordinance for years, but funding for such an intensive undertaking proved elusive. Budget constraints are one factor officials will have to consider in their future discussions, Martin said. The city’s zoning ordinance has not undergone a comprehensive review since it was adopted in 1978, although piecemeal amendments have been made every year. Officials also added new sections dealing with concerns such as signage, flood hazards and big box stores. The city currently is writing new regulations for institutional development. That proposal is expected to come before City Council around March, Martin said. In addition to Monday and Tuesday’s meetings, the public can provide feedback online at www.lynchburgislistening.com. The web site will direct users to a short survey on zoning.
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