Zoning for Destination Towns

Destination Towns is a new series on Rural Resurrection. These towns are those that are unique and boldly different. Towns that stick out in a crowd and draw people in, rather than letting them fly through.

There are some things that you can do in your zoning ordinance that can help prepare you for the type of development that you want.

Meeting Housing Demand

Having sufficient housing is a concern for many communities, regardless of whether they see themselves as a Destination Town or not. However, becoming a Destination Town will create more demand on your housing market. Probably not as much as Vail, Colorado, during the winter, but there will be some housing need. Whether it is in the form of a sprinkling of short-term rentals (Airbnb, Vrbo, etc) or affordable workforce housing for service staff, additional housing units and types will likely be needed.

Here’s an example of some zoning text changes to allow for short-term rentals. Not all aspects would apply to your community (many communities don’t have a rental inspection program), but there may be a few takeaways that might be useful for your own zoning ordinance.

La Vista Zoning Text Amendment – Short-Term Rentals

Accessory Dwelling Units or ADUs have been a buzzy term over the past few years as a relatively easy way to create more affordable housing. But if not regulated right, they can jumpstart the NIMBY crowd quite easily. Here are a couple of zoning text amendment packets concerning ADUs that may be of use:

Ogden, Utah, ADU Zoning Text Amendments

Contra Costa County ADU Zoning Text Amendments

Duplex

Introducing New Uses

There are also several additional possible uses in relation to creating a Destination Town that may not be in your current zoning code. It is best to introduce these uses now to help facilitate their development as your destination community matures. Provided below is a short list of example uses that may not already be in your zoning ordinance.

• Private or Non-Profit Educational
• Resorts
• RV Storage/Sales
• Indoor Training Facilities
• Live-Work Spaces
• Mixed Use Districts
• Others from similar communities

But also, don’t forget to add definitions for each use. This is an important aspect that makes sure your community gets out of the uses that it has envisioned.

Some uses, possibly even a few of the ones above, may need a little more attention. This includes agritourism. It is important to start discussing regulatory changes now so your community is prepared for an opportunity in the future. Many local zoning codes prohibit all undefined uses and activities. Hence, it is important for communities to specifically address agritourism in their plans and ordinances. Do this not only to allow for agritourism uses but also to control the potential negative impacts that can hurt your community as well.

There are several aspects of allowing agritourism that need consideration. Do you allow it outright, or with a conditional use permit? Should the ordinance address parking? Traffic? What about the potential noise impacts on adjoining properties?

For a more in-depth discussion about zoning in relation to agritourism, check out my earlier post Planning and Zoning for Agritourism.

RAGBRAI 2022 – Old Town Vinyard; Picnic Tables for Food Trucks

Set a Design Standard

It may also be important to consider design guidelines. Implementing design guidelines can improve the overall look and feel of your community, creating a good first impression, just like a streetscape project. No, they don’t have to be so strict as to make everything look like castles.

But your community should consider the long-term durability of finishes. A business that selects the wrong type of paint can start being an eyesore within just a few years. And that’s just requiring the right type of paint, not pushing for a certain level of masonry or other finishes. Design guidelines can be constrained or fully involved to create a consistent general look and feel throughout town. It’s up to you and your community.

Make the Adjustments Now Rather than Later

As with the Scout Motto, “Be prepared,” adopting zoning amendments before developments come. This can speed through the developments that your community desires but protects the community from those developments that can be problematic.

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