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ELKINS -- Elkins City Council has approved a city zoning law update on its second and final reading.
The final vote, taken during the most recent City Council meeting on Aug. 18, came after two public hearings and a first reading vote, all in July.
A total of four individuals spoke during the two public hearings, on July 26 and July 28.
Council accepted written comments about the proposed zoning ordinance through July 15. Two letters were received during that period
Voting in favor of the zoning ordinance update were all six council members present at the Aug. 18 meeting -- First Ward's Rob Chenoweth and Judy Guye, Second Ward's Lisa Severino, Fourth Ward's Marilynn Cuonzo, and Fifth Ward's David Parker and Linda Vest.
Council members not present for the Aug. 18 meeting were Second Ward's Mike Hinchman, Third Ward's Clint Higgins and Chris Lowther, and Fourth Ward's Nanci Bross-Fregonara.
In June, the Elkins Planning Commission presented council with the proposed update after seven years of work. Elkins zoning laws were first approved in the 1950s and had not been significantly updated since the 1970s.
Since 2015, the Planning Commission has held about 50 noticed, public meetings on the proposed zoning update, officials said, along with three open houses to collect public input, in January and September 2018 and December 2021.
Starting in 2016, the Elkins Planning Commission, with the assistance of the WVU Land Use Law Clinic, worked to update the city's zoning laws.
Zoning laws regulate how land may be used inside a jurisdiction. These laws divide jurisdictions into sections, or zones, and stipulate the kinds of businesses and housing that are allowed in each of these.
Zoning laws also cover topics like where buildings may be situated on a lot and how many accessory buildings (e.g., sheds) are allowed.
Legally operated businesses and rental units will be "grandfathered" under the new law, a City of Elkins press release stated.
This means that, even if the type of business or style of residence conflicted with those allowed in a particular zone under the new law, these "non-conforming uses" would be allowed to continue, even if the property is sold, unless abandoned for a year or longer.
The new law includes no design or historic-preservation requirements.