Zoning plan presented at public hearing

During an October 28 public hearing held by the Planning and Zoning Commission,. Matt Lewis from Simple City Design presented the proposed new zoning map for Bandera City, complete with character district names and proposed place type classifications.

Simple City has been working on this rezoning plan for 18 months in close concert with the Bandera City Council, Planning & Zoning Commission and members of the community.

Lewis emphasized the intense work that his firm has been engaged with the community on in order to understand and keep Bandera Bandera through walking and studying all aspects of the city, examining the existing zoning maps and performing a DNA analysis – a physical and numerical extraction of the numbers that make up Bandera’s building patterns, street patterns and property positioning.

Simple City has developed a thoroughfare master plan, updated zoning ordinance, and updated place type zoning districts. They drew and sketched considering what may be if development might come into this town. They mapped out the topography and hydrology of Bandera, taking into account the conundrum of Bandera’s water and wastewater facilities.

Lewis said Bandera’s current codes were arbitrary and have stringent guidelines, so they coded in elements that the community actually wants.

“We hear that you don’t like change. Well, with the rules you have on the books now, you are guaranteed change.” said Lewis, stressing even though Bandera is a 50/50 town that does not like change, his firm and the city have convened for conversations, debates and dialogues about what is needed to keep Bandera into the future.

Lewis stated “We’ve evaluated the natural environment, which is y’alls biggest resource. Bandera has cowboys and cowgirls, something that is real and lives here.”

Lewis stressed that, in essence, they are re-legalizing this town through this new plan.

Several people from the community spoke up about how the new coding might negatively affect their current property based on the new proposals.

Lewis and the commission agreed some properties would be unique and require a variance from city.

In orderly to properly address concerns of Bandera residents, Lewis is creating an application for property owners to complete that features questions and details about their properties.

The application for rezoning considerations can be found on http://cityofbandera.org/. Paper applications are also available to pick up at City Hall.

To see Simple City’s comprehensive plan, visit https://simplecity.mysocialpinpoint.com/bandera/ building-block.