Five Counties offers to update Glendale's general plan and zoning map; council agrees to engage

Kevin Smedley, a planner with the Five Counties Association, presented the town's current general plan (from 2001) and explained state requirements for a land-use element and a traffic-and-circulation element. Smedley said an updated general plan and an interactive zoning map improve eligibility for grants and make future applications more competitive.

Smedley told the council his services are funded by the legislature and that he can provide mapping and planning help at no direct cost to the town. He recommended keeping the plan simple and user-friendly so town staff can update it going forward. Council members raised staffing constraints for compiling infrastructure maps and asked Smedley to check for funding or partners to do field surveys.

The council voted to have Five Counties present a draft of the updated general plan and zoning map to the town's Planning & Zoning body for consideration. A council member said an interactive map that displays zoning categories and infrastructure layers would make local planning and grant applications easier.

Next steps: Five Counties will coordinate with town staff to prepare materials and present to Planning & Zoning; the council asked staff to schedule that presentation at the next Planning & Zoning meeting.