Planning and Zoning
The City Planning Commission was created in the 1920s to establish municipal guidelines for construction in residential, commercial and industrial districts. A complete city survey was done in 1926, and a Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance was passed in 1929. In response to the zoning ordinance, the Zoning Board of Appeal was created to hear petitions to the zoning law. The Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance has been updated many times, and continues to be updated today. Additional resources can be found on the CPC’s website.
City Planning Commission Photographs
Zoning Dockets
Property researchers will find detailed property information regarding zoning and zoning disputes in the Zoning Dockets of the City Planning Commission. Access to zoning dockets is through the docket number, which can be found in the newspaper.
City Planning Commission volumes include the official minutes of all planning and zoning meetings. They provide information on all subdivisions of real estate, both major developments and minor re-subdivisions of squares, and on all requests for zoning changes that required Planning Commission and Council approval. In addition to the written minutes, the books also contain approved subdivision maps and, in disputed zoning cases, supporting documentation from both sides in the controversy. Zoning disputes may include maps showing ownership in the affected area and/or photographs showing existing conditions.
Additional information regarding zoning, including the outcome of zoning disputes, can be found in City Council Records.
