Carthage gets first look at proposed zoning plan

Members of the Plan Commission, the Carthage Industrial Development Coalition and the Carthage city council met with Steve Freiburg of Poepping, Stone, Bach & Associates for a preliminary reading of zoning regulations for the east edge of Carthage.

Freiburg presented a draft of zoning regulations based on earlier conversations and common practices in the area. He wanted feedback to continue finalizing the plan.

Once a final draft is completed, a public hearing will be held. The Plan Commission makes any changes to the document it deems necessary before approving it and sending it to the Carthage city council for their approval.

One theme at the meeting was keeping the regulations loose enough to encourage development.

“We want flexibility, but we want some restrictions with what you can put in so it's developed in a certain way,” said John Huston. “That was the idea behind the Corridor Plan.”

The goal of the overall plan is to have the interchange and surrounding areas feel like a campus, rather than a continuous plane of concrete broken up with buildings.

“What I've understood from you is you don't want to see industrial parks sandwiched in tightly. You wanted to have more of a campus-like feel,” said Freiburg.

“We asked Steve to make it both attractive and ameniable to development,” said Carthage Community Developer Branda Pyatt.

The zoning includes a minimum required amount of open space. Open space requirements are to keep the entire area from being paved, and open space helps with drainage. Green space was a goal in the Corridor Plan.

“Twenty percent is in the middle of the pack. It's a fair starting point,” said Freiburg.

Plan Commission chairman Franklin Hartzell and Huston each recommended having a zoning number like B-2 or R-3 to match existing zoning.

The Corridor Plan set-up large areas of recommended uses. Memorial Hospital is constructing a new building near the interchange in the area the Corridor Plan had designated for medical/office space.

“They decided on the location on their own,” said Pyatt. “The fact that they chose the same area that the Corridor Plan recommended means the Plan is a good one.”

The first step is annexing the hospital property within city limits. The second step is to have the city run water and sewer to the site. The city is waiting on word for two no-interest loans for $1.2 million to pay for the project.

The goal is to have zoning agreed on in theory before the hospital begins construction in the spring. There is no time line for a final zoning plan, but having zoning in place is one less hurdle for incoming businesses to jump over.

Freiburg created some planned districts for consideration like an industrial park, office area, and commercial areas. He based these on five other cities he researched. Planned districts promote the economical and efficient use of land and infrastructure. They are located in conformity with the Corridor Plan and the Future Land Use Plan. The districts are located based on planned water and sewer lines to minimize relocation of that infrastructure.

Zoning regulations can cover all aspects of development: building height, setbacks for parking lots, amount of greenery on properties, size of landscape berms, hours of operation for outdoor eating, light and sound levels for residents and other businesses, hours of operation for loading/unloading and more. The groups are balancing business wants with residential wants.

“Zoning always has some use for things you never thought of,” said Freiburg. “I tried to write this stuff down. I included things I thought you could run into problems with in the future.”

The east side of town is the first step towards reviewing zoning ordinances for the whole town, which haven't been updated since 1967. The former Carthage College campus is another large area that is being looked at.

“We've met with them to find out what their plans are for the college,” said Pyatt. “The goal is to zone it so every time they want to put something in there, they don't have to come asking for a variance.”