Carson City Planning Commission begins work on zoning code revision

The Planning Commission started its work to revise Title 18, Carson City’s municipal code regulating zoning.

The commission met outside its regular meeting and plans to keep holding workshops once a month to tackle the project.

The work is part of the District Attorney’s office’s Comprehensive Revision Project to overhaul the city’s entire municipal code by 2022.

Thursday, the commission reviewed two chapters, 18.03, Definitions, and 18.04, Use Districts.

Community Development staff had already proposed changes to the definitions and the commission weighed in on a few others.

Some definitions may be edited or consolidated, such as several for various auto shops that are already referred to under an umbrella term, “automobile services.” Others may be removed if unused or arcane, such as the “community institutional” definition that included hippodromes, a stadium for horse or chariot racing.

Chapter 18.04 covers 30 zones, such as single-family one acre or general industrial, and their permitted uses and site development standards as well as non-conforming uses.

“Since non-conforming use is always a hot topic we should be crystal clear,” said Charles Borders, commission member.

Municipal code states that any lawful use of land or building in place at the time the code was adopted and not in conformance with it may continue. Once the use is abandoned, the property cannot revert back to it.

The commission plans at its next workshop — tentatively scheduled for Sept. 26 — to look at the chapter which outlines accessory dwelling units. The units now cannot be rented and the city is considering changing that as one way to help address the housing shortage.