Grafton clears first hurdle toward 'overhaul' of zoning code, looks to preserve downtown

The Grafton Village Council approved the first reading of a study that could be a potential overhaul of the local zoning code at Monday's special meeting. The existing code has not been updated since 2001. It's an "important step" for Grafton, Village Administrator Andrew Lipian said. "Being more user-friendly, being more digestible to the public, and being something that, therefore, is more accessible for public use. And that can only be a point of progress for us as a village," he said. The zoning study, conducted by Kleinfelder, was presented to the Grafton Planning Commission, which voted unanimously to move forward to the Village Council's first reading. The Village Council then voted unanimously to move forward, clearing the first hurdle toward the new ordinance being adopted. "The Joint Planning Commission gave and signaled their blessing of this ordinance," Lipian said. "It is now proceeding to Village Council, where it will get its second and third readings. And then it will be adopted in the next month if it proceeds well." A large focus of the new zoning code was to make village governmental decisions less opaque and make the document more accessible to Grafton residents, officials said. The proposed zoning code will add an overlay district in Grafton's downtown area. Described as a "mixed-use" area, which can feature both commercial and residential space, the overlay district will include architectural design standards to preserve the historic nature of the area, according to Paul Tecpanecatl, a principal professional with Kleinfelder who presented the study. Those standards are "to make sure there's quality construction and there's some decent design, basically so it looks better," Tecpanecatl said. Preserving the historical nature of Grafton's downtown area was a main reason the village sought to update the zoning code, Grafton Mayor Charles Duke said. The updated code will allow the village to enact policies and procedures to preserve the downtown, most of which is not protected by the National Register of Historic Places, officials said. "We like our old-time flavor," Duke said Communities can be plagued by outdated and inefficient zoning codes and policies, Tecpanecatl said. "If anything, we cleaned up the code," Tecpanecatl said. "Because before, it was hard to read. … It allows the general public easier use, and also helps the administration." Other concerns addressed in the updated zoning code are standards for drive-through restaurants to prevent traffic build-up, electric vehicle charging stations and residential rental properties like AirBnB. In decades prior, industrial factories and environmental concerns may have been on the minds of village officials. Today, the main concern is preserving the look and feel of the community, Tecpanecatl said. "Communities are going more toward design," Tecpanecatl said. "That's what communities want, aesthetics. But you need to do it in a correct way." Contact Garrett Looker at glooker@chroniclet.com.