City Undertakes Zoning Ordinance Review

The City of Sevierville Planning and Development Department has embarked on a comprehensive review of City zoning ordinances.

The review process started June 15, 2015 with the arrival of a consulting company. The Orion Planning Group is leading the review and will ultimately provide the City with recommended ordinance changes. The entire process is expected to be completed late this year.

The goal of the review is to ensure zoning ordinances are keeping up with changes in common development practices and desirable land use guidelines, and ensure efficient processes for residents, property owners and developers.

“Maintaining and enforcing reasonable zoning policies is vital to community success and livability,” said Planning and Development Director Pamela Caskie. “At the same time, we want to be as flexible as possible and streamline our processes whenever we can for residents and developers.”

So far, a team of six professionals from Orion has gathered information from City staff, private developers, and other partners. Residents, property owners and developers are being encouraged to provide input via www.plansevierville.com. A meeting was also held on June 17 where all interested citizens were afforded an opportunity to have a more extensive conversation with the consultants.

Lastly, a public meeting was held at the Sevierville Civic Center on June 18, to present a summary of the information gathered.