Planning Commission seeking member | News, Sports, Jobs - The Inter-Mountain

ELKINS — The Elkins Planning Commission is looking to fill a vacancy while working to update the city’s zoning laws.

Officials are accepting applications from city residents who are interested in being appointed to fill the volunteer position.

Applications may be downloaded from the city’s web site and should be submitted to the city clerk’s office as soon as possible.

The Elkins Planning Commission, which meets once a month, “is an independent body that advises city council on matters having to do with planning and zoning,” a City of Elkins press release states. “Membership consists of the mayor and one member of council, joined by five citizen members, all of whom must be residents of Elkins.”

The commission’s duties include “planning and making recommendations for the city’s physical development; recommendation of zoning, or land use, and subdivision laws; and consideration of requests to amend the city’s zoning laws,” the release states. “The commission is not involved with code enforcement or the enforcement of zoning or any other laws.”

The Elkins Planning Commission completed the city’s first comprehensive plan, a policy document describing the community’s development goals, in 2015.

Since then, the Elkins Planning Commission has been working on an update to the city’s zoning laws, which have not been significantly amended since initial adoption in the 1950s and a revision in the 1970s.

Since 2015, the Elkins Planning Commission has held about 40 public meetings, including nine on Zoom, during the COVID-19 pandemic; two open houses for the purpose of collecting public input and concerns, in January 2018 and September 2018; and an online survey in September 2016.

Moving forward, the commission will review public input and make any needed changes to its proposed zoning code.

After these final changes have been made, the commission will then formally present the proposed zoning code to council. After this formal presentation, there will be two more opportunities for public input at separate daytime and evening hearings held by council. Then, council will vote twice, at two separate meetings, on whether to approve or reject the new zoning code.

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