Community members are invited to learn about the proposed updates to the City of Cleburne’s Zoning Ordinance at an upcoming Open House.
The Open House will be a come-and-go event from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 13 at the Cleburne Conference Center, 1501 W. Henderson St. Attendees will learn more about the progress on the update and speak with the update’s consultants and city staff. A presentation will be given by the consultants starting at 6 p.m.
The City of Cleburne is finalizing the process of revising its Zoning Ordinance, Zoning Map, and Future Land Use Map. This project will continue the efforts to modernize and simplify 25-year-old City ordinances and bring the standards into the 21st century. The update will prepare the City and help guide future development for Cleburne’s projected growth while ensuring the City’s long-term plans work together in harmony.
The zoning update will rename and, in some cases, consolidate the zoning districts we have today. The intent of the update is ultimately to preserve the character of the community. Established neighborhoods will remain protected and will be notably unchanged from their current developed pattern. Home and business owners with existing property already developed are considered “grandfathered,” meaning they won’t experience any changes and can use their property as they are today.
The updated regulations have been completed through an 18-month strategic and community-based process. This project began in July 2020 with a public kick off meeting, community stakeholder interviews, and an open house event. The update’s consultants, the advisory committee and city staff spent the following months developing a plan based on that input and feedback. The proposed plan is now complete and is in the review stage from the citizen-led Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council.
“This plan was developed with public input and feedback at the start of the process and it’s equally important that our community be able to see the proposed plan before we review it one last time for adoption in November,” Mayor Scott Cain said. “The Open House is a great opportunity to learn about the proposed plan and the tools we have available online are easy to understand.”
This project is also applying updates to the Future Land Use Plan. The Future Land Use Plan, which is part of the City’s Comprehensive Plan, is a high-level, 30,000-foot view of the City and serves as a guiding document, not a regulating document like a zoning map or zoning ordinance. It is a comprehensive blueprint of Cleburne’s vision for its future development pattern. The Future Land Use Plan Map designates various districts within the City for particular land uses, such as residential, commercial or industrial. It is essential to note that the Future Land Use Plan Map is not a Zoning Map, which legally regulates specific development requirements on individual pieces of land. Rather, the Future Land Use Plan Map is a tool that is utilized when determining if a rezoning request is compatible with the district and neighborhood in which it is located.
In addition to the upcoming Open House, there will be two more public meetings prior to the potential adoption of the proposed updates. Other upcoming public meetings include the Planning & Zoning Commission at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 25 at City Hall and the City Council Meeting at 5 p.m. on Nov. 9 at City Hall. The City has also created an interactive map where users can type in an address and learn more about the proposed zoning updates for that location.
Learn more about this project and see a copy of the proposed update
View an interactive map to see the proposed zoning updates throughout the city