Public Opportunities to Engage with Zoning Update

Planning staff will host neighborhood walks and public meetings as part of Phase II draft

Hamilton's Planning Department Staff have spent early 2024 drafting zoning code updates with direction from the Zoning Code Update Working Group. After meeting to check in on general direction in July, first drafts will be ready for release in mid-September.

Phase II updates will amend Hamilton's development and land use regulations for residential and commercial properties throughout the City. It will also update the Comprehensive Plan's future land use map, which guides future development patterns.

For this stage of work, Planning staff will be hosting a number of opportunities to engage with proposed zoning changes, ask questions, and provide feedback in a less formal setting than typically occurs for official City business:

Public Meetings

Wed Sep 18th & Wed Sep 25th, both @ 6:00pm - Hamilton City Hall (223 S. 2nd St)

These meetings provide an engaging opportunity to learn about the zoning update, ask question, and have community conversations about growth and development in Hamilton. The public will have opportunities to provide feedback on this first draft for Phase II zoning proposals.

Neighborhood Walks

Thu Sep 19th @ 12:00pm & 6:00pm - Meet at City Hall (223 S. 2nd St)

Thu Sep 26th @ 12:00pm & 6:00pm - Meet at Downtown Parking Lot (4th & Pinckney)

These walks will get out into neighborhoods to review elements of zoning, existing neighborhood form, and how proposed residential zoning updates would impact existing uses, infill, and redevelopment. Walks will last approx. 1.5 hours and involve roughly 1.5 miles of walking. Walks will occur rain or shine, and participants are encouraged to dress for the weather. No registration is required.

Zoning Code Update Working Group Meeting

Mon Sep 30th @ 5:30pm - City Hall (223 S. 2nd St)

With fresh public feedback from meetings and neighborhood walks, Staff will present the Phase II drafts to the Working Group, along with substantive public feedback for any changes not yet incorporated. The Working Group will discuss the proposed updates for general consensus. The public is encouraged to attend and provide additional comment and feedback.

Drafts of proposed Phase II zoning changes will be emailed to this website's contact list prior to Working Group discussion. Register for Updates to participate.

Neighborhood Meetings Will Review Action Items

This Winter, City of Hamilton Staff hosted a series of neighborhood meetings to generate feedback on the Zoning Code Update's Phase II Focus Areas. This feedback elicited a number of Common Themes for how local residents desire to see Focus Areas implemented through future zoning code changes.

The Zoning Code Update Working Group met on April 1, 2024 to review a set of proposed Action Items that would implement these Common Themes. Action Items are snapshot ideas of how the text of Hamilton's zoning code could be amended to carry out Common Themes.

DRAFT ACTION ITEMS:

1. Restructure residential zoning districts

2. Restructure non-conforming use regulations

3. Simplify and restructure Land Use Tables

4. Restructure the Transitional Neighborhood Business District (B) and Local Business District (B-1)

5. Provide greater flexibility for Home Occupations

6. Restructure the Commercial/Manufacturing District (CM) and Manufacturing/Industrial District (MI)

7. Allow housing “by right” above or behind primary commercial uses in the B-1 District and Highway Related Business District (B-2)

8. Develop townhome standards

9. Update for State Law Changes: SB 407, SB 528, HB 819, SB 178, HB 246

10. Update Hamilton’s Zoning Map and the Comprehensive Plan’s Future Land Use Map

Detailed proposals for draft Action Items can be reviewed in the document below, which includes Phase II's scope and tasks.

Hamilton Draft Zoning Actions Report_4.2.24.pdf

Download PDF • 1.73MB

The Working Group and City Staff will host another round of Neighborhood Meetings over the next month. This will allow the community to have comprehensive review of proposed Action Items, ask questions, and provide feedback:

• Mon. April 22nd @ 6:00pm - River Street Dance Theatre (421 N 2nd St)

• Thu. April 25th @ 12:00pm -  Hamilton City Hall (223 S 2nd St)

• Mon. April 29th @ 6:00pm - Golden Agers Club (727 S 5th St)

• Wed. May 1st @ 6:00pm – NEW Hamilton Fire Station (247 Foxfield St)

• Thu. May 2nd @ 12:00pm – Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86563495778)

After these meetings, community feedback will be reported to the Working Group for potential revisions to Action Items. Once Action Items have Working Group buy-in, Phase II will proceed into drafting zoning code text amendments. See the updated timeline below.

To remain up to date on Phase II, Working Group Meetings, and future Code Updates, Register for Updates.

Phase II Kickoff Moves to Action

The City of Hamilton's Zoning Code Update Working Group and Planning Department Staff have completed a series of Neighborhood Kickoff Meetings. 5 presentations and group discussions took place from late November to early January throughout the City and virtually, with 78 total attendees.

Community participants, Working Group members and staff covered a variety of topics surrounding land use, growth, development, and Hamilton's existing regulations. Based on these conversations, Staff identified a number of common themes that the community desired to see as part of Phase II code amendments:

• Preserve naturally occurring affordable housing.

• Expand opportunities for home occupations.

• Focus higher intensity development along key transportation corridors such as Marcus Street.

• Incentivize development of smaller single-family homes.

• Provide flexibility for older, possibly non-conforming, homes and parcels.

• In-fill on Hamilton’s westside should be developed in context with surrounding development patterns; at a similar scale to existing development. Multi-family in-fill developments on the west side can be accommodated, but attention needs to be paid to form and scale. 

• The use of density or height bonuses could be used to incentivize affordable housing along key transportation corridors such as Marcus Street, provided there is not a substantial negative impact on viewsheds.

• Allow a broader range of commercial and mixed uses along Marcus Street and Highway 93.

• Higher density housing is needed in Hamilton to provide more housing options and reduce pressures of sprawl. 

The Zoning Code Update Working Group will next meet on Monday, January 29th at 5:30pm at Hamilton City Hall (223 S. 2nd St) to discuss these themes. CLICK HERE for a meeting packet, which includes a summary of Kickoff meetings of the detailed Phase II Scope of Work.

Following this discussion, Staff will refine themes into draft Action Items that will be discussed at a future Working Group Meeting (date and time TBD). Once the Working Group has finalized Action Items, another series of Neighborhood Meetings will be scheduled to discuss proposals and ensure they accurately reflects Kickoff feedback. After this point, Staff and the Working Group will move toward technical code amendments, and assess the need for zoning map amendments and Future Land Use Map amendments in the Comprehensive Plan.

See the projected timeline for Phase II below:

To remain up to date on Working Group Meetings, Phase II, and future Code Updates, Register for Updates.