Planning Commission votes to rethink structure of CodeNEXT special hearings

Before their March 27 joint meeting with the Zoning and Platting Commission, the Planning Commission passed a motion at their own meeting to revisit the structure of the rules and procedures for the upcoming April 28 and May 1 CodeNEXT public hearings. As planned now, those meetings would only allow speakers who have signed up to share their thoughts (in three minutes or less with no donated time), and the land use commissioners would focus on listening. Planning Commissioner Tom Nuckols and several other commissioners, however, advocated at last week’s meeting for allocating some time during the hearings for commissioners to ask questions of speakers. Chair Stephen Oliver said that the idea had come up in previous discussions between himself, Zoning and Platting Chair Jolene Kiolbassa, and city staff, but it had not held sway, because the current framework had been used before effectively. However, he said he also did not see any harm in asking again. The motion passed 7-4-1, with commissioners Fayez Kazi, James Schissler, Angela De Hoyos Hart and Todd Shaw dissenting. Oliver abstained.