Columbia City Council voted Monday night to hire an outside consulting service to help with the revision of the city’s zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations. Council members hope hiring an outside consultant to focus on city-specific zoning issues will help spur urban growth. Community Development Director Tim Teddy says the project would be a multiyear effort.
“The schedules I’m seeing in reviewing what other communities do and the way the scope of service is, probably 12 months minimum, 18 months is fairly common. So I would say a multiyear effort,” Teddy said.
The service will cost an estimated $150,000.
“We can begin this work this fiscal year, and it’s a one- time expense so it’s not an operating budget impact in this way,” Matthes said.
Council members say the service will only be used in urban areas of the city and will not be used in the suburbs.