Council weighs Rochester zoning overhaul

A homeowner who wants to build a small apartment behind a house, a gardener who wants to put up a greenhouse, a landlord who rents rooms to visitors and a developer planning an apartment building all depend on the same thing: the zoning rules that determine what they can do with their property. Rochester is considering a sweeping rewrite of those rules. The proposal would replace the zoning code adopted in 2003 and redraw the map that assigns a zoning district to every parcel in the city. Some properties could gain new options; others would face new restrictions. The effort grew out of Rochester 2034, the comprehensive plan City Council adopted unanimously on Nov. 12, 2019. The city’s Zoning Alignment Project, known as ZAP, released the current draft code, proposed map and final generic environmental impact statement in April. The city Planning Commission voted 6-0 in July to recommend it with changes. Council President Miguel Meléndez has said there will be no vote in November.

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