Planning & Zoning

OVERVIEW

The Community Development Department oversees the city's planning and zoning (P&Z) services. This includes managing the city’s current and long-term growth through the administration of the zoning code and the comprehensive plan adopted by Mayor and Council. 

The Department accepts applications for annexation, rezoning, conditional use, variances, modifications, and all other zoning and/or land use map amendments. Prior to the applicant's submittal, a pre-application meeting is required with the Department, minimum one week prior to the desired date of submittal. Incomplete applications are not accepted. 

Completed applications accepted by the Department are presented to Mayor and Council for their review and vote for either approval, approval with conditions, or denial. The City of Hampton City Council meets the second Tuesday of each month at City Hall, 17 E. Main Street, South. Public hearings begin at 6:00 pm and regular scheduled meetings begin at 6:30 pm.

Application Types:

Annexation: 100% Method allows property owners of all the land in an area to seek to have their property annexed into an adjacent city by signing a petition (O.C.G.A. § 36-36-20 et seq.). It is up to the city council to determine whether to annex the property or not.

60% Method allows for petitioners representing owners of at least 60% of the property in the area to be annexed plus at least 60% of the resident electors in the area to be annexed to sign a petition to have their property annexed into an adjacent city. This method is available to cities with populations over 200 persons. The municipality is required to prepare a plan for servicing an area to be annexed and to hold a public hearing before adopting an ordinance annexing the area covered by the petition.
 
Conditional Use:  A public hearing process in which an applicant requests a use on a subject property that generally would not be appropriate throughout a zoning district but if controlled as to visual appearance, number, area, height, location, or relation to abutting or nearby uses, would not be injurious to the public, health, safety, welfare, morals, order, comfort, convenience, appearance or general welfare.

Rezoning: A public hearing process in which a zoning classification on a subject property is changed from one land use category to another to achieve the applicant’s desired uses and/or dimensional standards. The application is considered a simultaneous request for an amendment to the Official City Zoning Map.

Variance: A variance is a deviation from the set of rules applied to land use and land development, typically a zoning variance, building code, or municipal code. The manner in which variances are employed can differ greatly depending on the request. Variance requests require a public hearing and two reads before Mayor and Council. This is typically a three-month process however the timeline does vary based on details of the application and legal advertising deadlines. 

Zoning Verification: Individuals may request an official letter detailing specific information for a parcel of land. Typically, this is requested to verify zoning, permitted uses, future land uses, and any information pertinent to the applicant's interest and/or desired use of the property.