"2023 is a big year for us." — Dan Reuter, Executive Director of the Regional Planning Agency + City Planning Administrator

What does that mean? In today's installment of Decoding Zoning (a series where we try to make local zoning codes and processes easier to understand), we're diving into why this year will be so big for city and county planning.

According to Reuter, 2023 will be all about having a good sense of where the city and county are headed, and what zoning changes can be made to address potential problems before they arise.

This will be an opportunity to understand growth, traffic, housing, sewer, and school issues, among others. Along with two consulting teams — one for Hamilton County + one for the City of Chattanooga — the RPA will dig into all of these issues as much as possible.

Don't worry, there'll be a chance for you to make your voice heard. In the first quarter of the year, however, the consultants and RPA will focus on gathering + understanding all of the data as best as possible.

When we spoke with Reuter, he told us that they were working to have a draft modernizing the zoning ordinance out to the public soon. You can stay updated on the RPA's website + the zoning code update website.

"We are fortunate that we can look at consultants that have worked in other parts of country, and we don’t have to follow a conventional process. We can be out of the box. We don’t wanna go down the same road of growth that we’ve seen in so many places in America." — Reuter