Zoning Code Changes Headed to Kent City Council

A few hundred pages of proposed changes to Kent's zoning code are heading to Kent City Council.

The Kent Planning Commission voted Tuesday to recommend council change the zoning code as proposed. The suggested changes, which are available on the city's website, fill a three-ring binder more than 1 inch thick. They are the result of multiple joint meetings between council, the planning commission, the Kent Board of Zoning Appeals and other city boards held in the past two years to discuss updating the city's zoning code.

The planning commission's vote to recommend the changes to council took place in the presence of just one Kent resident at Tuesday night's meeting.

Kent Planning Commission Chairman Sean Kaine said the vote sending the suggestions to council has been in the works for a long time.

"There’s been a number of public meetings," Kaine said. "We’ve advertised them as far as we can. We’ve begged people to come. If people are concerned about it, they still have a chance at council.”

The recommendations to council are to repeal eight existing sections of the zoning code and create 12 new sections. The sections address a broad range of issues from the authority granted to the zoning board to regulations for signs and home-based businesses.

Proposed new code sections define home-based businesses, rooming and boarding houses and architectural design guidelines for defined overlay districts.

Eric Fink, Kent's assistant law director, said the code changes will require three separate votes by council before they are approved, unless members of council feel there is an urgent need to approve the recommendations and pass them in one vote with a super majority.

Council likely won't address the proposed zoning code changes until February.