Danielsville lands grant to update zoning ordinance

The Danielsville City Council agreed at a called meeting Jan. 11 to go forth with plans for a new zoning ordinance.

The process will include updating the zoning map.

The city’s current zoning ordinance is its 1978 ordinance plus three decades worth of amendments.

City attorney Victor Johnson, who has long lobbied for new zoning ordinance, learned that funding for drafting a new ordinance was available through the Northeast Georgia Regional Development Center.

A new zoning ordinance would update any state laws that might have changed since 1978.

The $4,574 comes from funds that went unused by another municipality. Danielsville will only pay $250 for the service after grant funds are applied.

The only stipulation attached to the grant money is that Danielsville start the process by Feb. 1. The city expects to complete the updated zoning ordinance by June 30.

Danielsville will also use $3,046 of its own funds to codify its city code of ordinances.

A codified ordinance basically takes all amendments and incorporates them into a unified ordinance. Danielsville’s last codified its ordinances in 1999, so the city code is the 1999 version plus all subsequent amendments in the last 11 years.

The city expects to finish the process by April 30.