Seeking time to plug a loophole in its ordinances that may inadvertently allow higher housing densities than intended, the Milton City Council has enacted an emergency 30-day moratorium on certain development activity.
The moratorium adopted last week bars applications for zoning and development permits for properties in AG-1 zoning districts, fronting unpaved or partially paved roads. A public hearing is expected to be held within 30 days so the moratorium can be extended.
You can build a house in Milton on a lot as small as one acre if it fronts a paved road; but if it’s on an unpaved road, the minimum jumps to three acres. Milton has 12 miles of gravel roads, so that has kept a lid on densities. But to the consternation of some residents, projects recently were approved with 1-acre lots because the gravel roads serving them had small extensions of pavement.
“The City Council believes that the zoning ordinance and subdivision ordinance may need to be modified to clarify what constitutes a ‘paved’ road for purposes of subdivision,” the moratorium resolution says.
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