Avondale Estates, GA — Residents of Avondale Estates have two more chances to weigh in on a rewrite of the city’s zoning codes.

There will be two virtual open house meetings. One will be held today, Feb. 17 and one will be held on Feb. 25.

The city is currently rewriting its zoning code and expects to complete an overhaul of its land use and zoning regulations by May 31, 2021. City Manager Patrick Bryant explained that most cities in America used boilerplate zoning language for most of the 70s, 80s and 90s. He said much of Avondale’s current zoning code is a remnant of that era. In the last decade, the Avondale Estates City Commission created a downtown master plan and conducted a zoning audit.

The audit assessed the city’s areas of weakness in its code and made recommendations about potential changes.

“The rewrite of the zoning code is the outcome of all of those factors,” Bryant said. “We’re developing a code that’s very specific to Avondale Estates, the desires of its residents, the desires of its board, so we have an objective code that developers will be able to use to determine whether their development type is appropriate for the city of Avondale Estates. For example, a multifamily mixed-use developer will be able to develop by right using our code now, whereas in the past they needed to use a special use permit, and go through a process. We want to remove subjectivity, so developers have a better sense of what we are looking for in our downtown.”

More information about the zoning code rewrite can be seen by clicking here.

Here are the details for the upcoming open house opportunities: