Jefferson County adopts broad update to zoning code, adds mediation and new suburban zone

Milton Overton, Jefferson County planning and zoning administrator, told commissioners the county had spent months rewriting Chapter 112 to codify definitions, tighten application processes and better align code with state statute. "We worked several months with the planning zoning commission," Overton said, describing clearer definitions for uses such as event centers, conditional use procedures, variances and a new planned‑unit‑development ordinance.

The ordinance, labeled 2024‑08, makes several substantive changes: it lengthens notice and review periods for applicants, adds a mediation option to the hearing process, formalizes revocation for conditional use permits if violations occur, and introduces a suburban neighborhood (SN) zone. Under the SN zone, multifamily dwellings are allowed when community sewer and water are available; minimum lot sizes were adjusted and a quarter‑acre lot option was added where community utilities exist.

Commissioners described tradeoffs in the rewrite. Some emphasized the need to avoid enabling PUDs in inappropriate places without corresponding infrastructure; others said codification was overdue and the new text reduced internal contradictions. "By updating access and commercial standards, we're at least able to address commercial access," Overton said, noting the land‑use table will be revisited in coming months.

The planning commission had recommended moving recreational vehicle parks in the C‑1 commercial zone from permitted to conditional uses; that change remained and drew specific discussion about impacts on roads, sewer and public safety. Overton also said the code now includes noise limits (65 dB residential at property line; higher thresholds for commercial and industrial uses) as part of performance standards.

Commissioners voted to adopt Ordinance 2024‑08 after public discussion and staff clarifications. County staff will proceed with codification and a multi‑month process to incorporate the changes into the official code, and the board signaled further refinements to the land‑use table will follow.