City Seeks Public Comment on Zoning Code Update

MOUNT VERNON, May 8, 2024 – The first major update to the City’s Zoning Code since the
1990s has been proposed, and is now going to be presented to the public over the next several
weeks for its review and comment.
In late 2022, Mount Vernon embarked on a process to modernize its planning, zoning and
subdivision regulations to ensure that the City is ready to welcome and accommodate strategic
growth that meets the goals of the City and its residents. As part of that process, the City worked
with a zoning consultant to assess the need for changes to its existing Zoning Code.
The full draft of the revised Zoning Code has now been posted on the City’s website, and will be
formally presented at a meeting of the Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday, May 9, 2024,
in Council Chambers, City Hall.
In addition to that public meeting, comment from residents is being sought online through noon on
May 31, 2024. There will then be a special Municipal Planning Commission meeting on Thursday,
June 6, 2024, in Council Chambers, to review the Zoning Code revision and the comments
submitted online.
The City’s Zoning Code ordinances are the tools the City uses to establish how land can be used,
the types of housing and businesses allowed, density of development, as well as site design
elements such as signage, landscaping, architecture, parking and access.
More specifically, some of the many purposes of the City’s Zoning Code are to:

• Implement the City of Mount Vernon Comprehensive Plan and other policies or plans
  adopted or approved by the City as they relate to the development of land.
• Encourage and facilitate orderly, efficient and appropriate growth and development.
• Facilitate development of land uses according to a comprehensive design that ensures the
  availability of and provision for adequate traffic capacity, water and sewer service, schools,
  public parklands and other such public facilities.