FAQs

A zoning amendment is any change to Chapter 197, Zoning, of the Rye City Code (AKA the “Zoning Code”). An amendment to the Zoning Code can be initiated by the City Council or by a request from a property owner who submits a petition. An amendment can be a petition to change the Zoning Map (i.e. changing the zoning district classification of one or more properties) and/or change the Zoning text (i.e. adding a new use or new standards to existing or proposed districts). The Arts Center petition is only a change to the text of the Zoning Code, not the Zoning Map.

Only the City Council can approve changes in the zoning code. Zoning adopted by the City Council sets parameters for future development in zoning districts such as the types of permitted uses, building intensity (i.e. setbacks, maximum building size, parking requirements, etc.) and the standards for approving such uses by local land use boards, most commonly the City Planning Commission.

In a zoning amendment, the City Council does not approve a specific site plan, building configuration, building design, architecture, etc. That would come at some future point of the property owner’s choosing and would typically require approval from another board such as the City Planning Commission, Board of Appeals or Board of Architectural Review. Site development plans or statements of future intended use presented during a zoning process are intended to be illustrative of what future development could look like or how such a use could operate as but are not necessarily the final outcome.