Understanding zoning regulations a critical part of economic development

Something that people may not realize, is that part of working in economic development is following and working closely with city and county zoning regulations. For every development that happens, business, housing, professional or personal, it is necessary to consult the zoning regulations and follow permitting processes.
Since there is a long list of ways zoning and permitting can impact a project, looking at these regulations is typically one of the first things I do when looking at a project or identifying a site for development. This is so important because I want to make sure that the project fits on the site and won’t meet unnecessary roadblocks. While this topic can be very nuanced and technical, for the purpose of this column I am just going to focus on the zoning map and setbacks.   
Did you know that every piece of ground in city limits or across the county is zoned for a specific use? For example, your home is zoned as residential and where you work is likely zoned for commercial or industrial. Within each of those zones there are specific things that you can or cannot do and specific development rules that need to be followed. This is why we don’t see retail stores located in the middle of a residential subdivision or a park next to an industrial site.
While it is possible to change a piece of ground to a different zone, there are rules and processes that need to be followed, to make sure it doesn’t negatively impact the surrounding properties/zones. This is why I always try to match projects to properties where their purpose fits within the current zone or in an area that is shown on the future land use map to be changed to the corresponding zone.
One of the reasons that it is important to understand which zone you are developing in, is because the zone will also dictate the rules or setbacks that you need to follow. For example, if you are building an extra garage (accessory building) on your property to store your mower and you are located in a general residential district, the new garage can’t be larger than 2,000 sq. ft and will need to be 5 feet away from the property line on the side of your house, and more than 2 feet from the property line behind your house. 
This is just one example from the 150+ pages of provisions outlined in the city zoning regulations and similar regulations exist throughout the county. On average, I consult county and city zoning regulations on a weekly, if not daily basis and even then, I often need help fully understanding the regulations. Luckily the zoning administrators at both the city and county are very knowledgeable and helpful in explaining the regulations, reviewing plans, and helping to make sure they fit within guidelines. 
After working with these regulations for more than five years, my largest piece of advice when it comes to planning and zoning is to reach out to the zoning administrator early and often. It is way easier to plan around the regulations and adjust, than to wait until submitting a building permit (which is required for all development big/small in the city/county), or accidentally building something wrong and be out of compliance.   
 KELSEY BERGEN serves as executive director of the Aurora Development Corporation. She can be reached at kelsey@growaurora.com