By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The Unified Development Code (UDC) for the city of Hays adopted a little more than a year ago has been working well, according to Jesse Rohr, the newly appointed Public Works Director who previously served as Planning Inspection Enforcement Superintendent.

However, developers and city staff have found one area they believe needs to be changed for commercial and industrial buildings.

It pertains to setbacks required for commercial and industrial buildings. Rear and interior side yard setbacks have increased, but they are “changes that do not seem to benefit the developer or the city” Rohr wrote in a memo to commissioners. In some cases, setbacks went from 0 feet to 25 feet on certain commercial property and don’t allow a developer to take advantage of space that could be otherwise utilized for building.

Most commercial developments don’t have the need for a rear yard/open space or rear landscaping, Rohr noted. Parking is often in the front or the side and not in the rear.

City staff researched the issue and looked back on the previous regulations. “Most communities have what we are proposing,” Rohr told commissioners during their Thursday night work session. The Planning Commission agrees with the proposal. “If the proposed changes are adopted, the Planning Commission requests extra setbacks be required if and when a commercial property were to be adjacent to a residential zone property,” he added.

Rohr also suggested another change to the UDC to allow breezeways between primary and accessory structures, such as a house and a garage.

The city commission will consider approving the recommended changes to the UDC at their meeting Sept. 28.