Subject:
Title
Approval of a Proposed Ordinance to Amend the Code of the Town of Vienna, Chapter 18, Zoning, Article 2, Section 18-4, Definitions, adding new Definitions, and adding a new Article 13.1 MAC: Maple Avenue Commercial Zone Regulations.
Body
EXPLANATION AND SUMMARY:
After an "analysis period" that began in November 2001, the Mayor and Town Council awarded a contract in July 2012 to Lardner/Klein, Clarion and Seth Harry and Associates to transform all the previously-prepared studies, exhibits and illustrations into a legal document that would display the appropriate elements of a mixed-use zoning ordinance for the commercially-zoned portion of Maple Avenue East and West. As part of this process, a 17-member Steering Committee was created by the Mayor. This advisory group has provided stakeholder review and comment on the proposal set forth by the consultant.
A zoning ordinance for the proposed Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone was first drafted in late 2013, and since then has been the subject of several work sessions by the Town Council, most recently on February 10, 2014. Subsequently, a joint work session of the Board of Architectural Review and Planning Commission was held on March 5, 2014. The proposed MAC zoning designation can be utilized by any commercially-zoned property located along Maple Avenue East and West. The new district will be voluntary, meaning that current property owners can choose to remain under their current zoning with no changes. Other properties, however, may choose to take advantage of the new MAC zoning designation to create more pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use developments, subject to certain requirements and approval by the Town Council.
The Planning Commission first considered the proposed ordinance during a public hearing conducted during its April 2, 2014 meeting. Commissioners spent a considerable amount of time discussing the process and decision-making that led up to the proposed ordinance langua...
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