Steve Van Dyke, owner of Livin Up 2 Fitness on Clymer Road, was at a Marysville City Council meeting earlier this month.
The business owner said a proposed change to the city’s zoning code could be “pretty devastating to our property values.” He said the proposal would change the area on Clymer Road from Special District One to Mixed Use.
“There is no buyer going to want to buy that under that designation,” Van Dyke said.
He said some of the property owners were not notified about the potential change and what it could mean for their property.
At the meeting, City Planner Ashley Gaver explained there would be a special “manufacturing overlay” that would allow for flexibility in that area. She said that should prevent any property devaluation.
City officials said they want to be able to address concerns like Van Dyke’s.
Marysville Zoning Administrator Ron Todd said the city’s planning commission is in the process of rewriting the zoning code in an effort to bring it into the 21st Century.
Todd said Marysville has seen significant growth since the last comprehensive rewrite of the zoning code and those regulations have not kept up with the growth.
He said the current code is out of date and is based on an out of date classification system. He said the current code addresses issues like dance halls and taxi cab stands.
He said some of the current zoning classifications are so out of date, they aren’t even used.
Todd said the city will move from 25 zones to 17 districts, noting that in addition to bringing the city’s zoning code into the 21st century, zoning officials “want to make it user friendly and streamline the process.”
“A lot of the uses have transferred over,” Todd said. “There is very minimal negative impact on the transition.”
The zoning administrator said the city will have the same permitted uses, “just under a different umbrella.”
In some areas, where the zoning was recently updated, there will be no changes, Todd said, specifically mentioning the city’s Uptown.
He added that the new code will “be in line with zoning best practices and the city vision.”
Todd said that zoning officials began the process of rewriting the code more than a year ago. He said the city hired a consulting firm which looked at the code and the current zoning and met with city officials and stakeholders.
Todd said the consultant identified the out of date areas and areas where the current zoning didn’t make sense. Recommendations were made to the planning commission.
Todd said the death of City Planner Chad Flowers “put the process on hold.”
Recently the planning commission completed its recommendation. Todd said he expects planning commission to finalize and approve that recommendation at its October meeting. That meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 7, at City Hall. Council recommended Van Dyke, or any resident with concerns about the new code, attend the meeting because any changes would be easier there, before the recommendation was brought forward to the council.
Todd said he would like to bring the code to council for a first reading on Oct. 28, and a public hearing Nov. 12. On that schedule, the code would be approved at the Nov. 25 council meeting and become effective 30 days later.
Based on council questions, Todd said the planning commission would be open to additional meetings in October to help the process.
“We want to make sure we stay ahead of the game,” Todd said. “The biggest thing is that it is looking to the future.”