Creating a Zoning Plan & Community Resistance

If your area does not have zoning one reason may be that residents are generally opposed to the idea of zoning, viewing it as an invasive government telling them how they can and cannot use their land.

Many people do not understand that zoning exists in order to protect property from the harms that occur when incompatible uses are situated near one another. Ultimately, it helps to preserve land for property owners so that they can continue to use and enjoy their land.

If you decide to pursue the creation of zoning in your area, it’s advisable to start with some community education and outreach before you contact planning professionals and elected officials. While communities may be resistant to the idea of increased local rules, those same people are often far more upset with the possibility of industry harming their property than they are with the idea of zoning.  It takes time and education for them to understand that zoning can protect them.

If your community is resistant to the idea of a creating a comprehensive zoning plan, you're not out of luck.  You can utilize other, less extensive local rules that will still help to protect your area from some harms associated with fracking infrastructure. Find out more by reading articles on what to do if your community does not have zoning.

If your community is amendable to creating a zoning plan check out next steps in the section titled "Introducing and Amending Local Rules".