Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
The city of Palouse will consider new zoning as part of a comprehensive plan nearing completion.
A public hearing was scheduled Tuesday to get comments on Title 17 of the city’s municipal code, which includes changes to the zoning map. The hearing will continue March 18 at 8 p.m. at the Palouse Library.
“We’d love for the public to come out and express whatever they want to express,” said Planning Commission Chairman Corey Laughary.
The city’s comprehensive plan has been a six-year process to update the previous document from 1997.
Zoning is an element of the comprehensive plan.
“The comprehensive plan should inform the city zoning,” said Laughary, noting an example of how the town of Leavenworth’s plan for its Bavarian look calls for zoning which requires architecture to support it in certain areas.
As far as the current zones for Palouse, they can be seen on a map hanging in city hall, produced in 1984.
“The zoning in Palouse is antiquated and there is very little definition to it,” Laughary said.
He went on to indicate that the map needs updating for reasons beyond the time it was last decided on.
“Not just because the current zoning is old, but because it doesn’t reflect the make-up of the town today and potential needs of future development of Palouse,” he said. “A lot of things weren’t informed or covered in the previous code in any way,” he said.
These issues include conditional use in certain zones.
“Maybe it’s too permissive in ways that could be harmful,” Laughary said of the current ordinances.
At present, zoning for Palouse includes three zones; high density, low density and unclassified.
The proposed new map has six zones; low density residential, high density residential, commercial, light industrial, agricultural and open space.
“It deems what’s allowed outright, what’s allowed conditional and what’s prohibited,” he said.
The commission was also set for a special meeting March 11 to digest comments from the previous public hearing.
“I think it’s going great,” said Palouse Mayor Michael Echanove. “They received some very good input at the first public hearing.”
Laughary indicated that the commission has no set time it hopes to send its recommendation to the city council.
“I can’t predict because it’s a democratic public process,” Laughary said.
Once the commission does issue its recommendations, the city council will hold its own public hearing and later vote on it. They can vote to accept it, to reject it or send it back to the planning commission with comments.
“These matters are important and we hope the community takes an interest,” Laughary said.
The proposed documents for Title 17 zoning map and comprehensive plan may be seen at city hall or online at VisitPalouse.com.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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