Horizon Community Planning - Zoning and Development Codes

Horizon is currently assisting the Town of Hilton Head Island with several priority amendments to the Land Management Ordinance (LMO), including adaptive reuse, workforce housing, review processes, mass/scale, open space, pathway planning/connectivity, signs, and tree protection. These amendments will address essential priorities established by the Town Council and Staff. 

In addition to priority updates, Horizon also serves as an owner's representative in the Town's complete LMO rewrite process with the project code-writing team.

 To follow up on the critical master planning effort carried out by Township staff and officials, the Gaines Charter Township Zoning Ordinance overhaul project commenced in 2023. A comprehensive audit was presented to the Board and Planning Commission, and the code was completely restructured and rewritten. A primary objective was to implement the Master Plan's future land use recommendations focusing on housing diversity, traditional neighborhood development, and mixed-use village centers. This project nears completion with a public hearing scheduled for January of 2025.

This project, preceded by a comprehensive code audit, involved updating the Township’s Zoning Ordinance to align with the Tri-Community Master Plan by incorporating its policies, goals, and vision into the zoning and development regulations. It addressed 71 recommendations from three advisory committees that reviewed the master plan to ensure the regulations reflected community input and priorities. The updated ordinance established a user-friendly and straightforward framework to improve clarity, reduce confusion, and enhance predictability in the development process. These changes are intended to facilitate quality development while protecting the Township’s natural resources and preserving its rural character, resulting in a modernized set of regulations that support sustainable growth and maintain the community’s unique identity. The code was adopted on March 28, 2024.

Horizon’s Waterfront Regulations Assessment Project addressed community concerns with the pressure of incompatible waterfront-area development. A full character assessment of the project area studied buildings and land uses and considered factors such as land use, building siting and placement, building design and architecture, building frontage type, parking availability, and pedestrian accommodations. The study provided context for the development of the surveys and zoning recommendations. Following the character assessment, a development assessment was conducted, which identified a number of redevelopment opportunities.

A general waterfront community survey and visual preference survey attracted close to 600 responses, and display boards were posted at several public events for additional outreach and public information. Once completed, zoning text amendments were developed to achieve the objectives of the community.

As a result of explosive industrial and residential growth related to the Port of Savannah, Horizon Community Planning was hired to conduct a Zoning Ordinance Audit and a full rewrite of the Zoning Ordinance. The ordinance was developed to prepare the City to manage growth to ensure compatibility between major warehousing and distribution facilities and residential development. The project focused on user-friendliness and simplifying cumbersome review processes while setting clear review standards. 

The code was adopted on June 22, 2023.

  The Almena Township Zoning Ordinance update was a comprehensive overhaul of processes, use requirements, and development standards. The project consolidated use and dimensional requirements into user-friendly tables and updated processes and standards for Planned Unit Developments (PUDs), special land uses, site plans, and variances. 

The code was adopted on February 2, 2023.

   The Village of Suttons Bay Zoning Ordinance update project resulted in a reformat of the entire ordinance structure, updated processes and procedures, and included form-based regulations for the downtown Village area.  The code was adopted on August 20, 2018.

The Holland Charter Township Zoning Ordinance update was based on a detailed audit, and the project improved antiquated regulations. The project also reassessed processes and standards to streamline development regulations, expedite reviews, and improve the user-friendliness of the ordinance. The code was adopted on May 3, 2018.

David Jirousek managed this project while at a previous firm. This experience now informs the tailored approach and expertise offered by Horizon Community Planning.

  This project included an overhaul of all zoning, subdivision, and development-related regulations into a unified development ordinance. The project was based on a technical audit prepared by the team and character area recommendations included in the City’s new Comprehensive Plan. Urban and neighborhood village design street layouts and regulating plans were developed to implement the character areas, and an overlay zoning district was established to help transform the area around an aging state highway commercial corridor. The code was adopted on September 13, 2016. 

David Jirousek managed this project while at a previous firm. This experience now informs the tailored approach and expertise offered by Horizon Community Planning.