WILMINGTON — A new city zoning code got its first reading.

Wilmington City Council held a public hearing for the potentially new zoning code at Thursday’s council meeting.

The proposed code had been designed by the Wilmington Zoning Update Task Force starting back in September 2017 and consisting of locals giving feedback to the updates initially planned by Planning Commissioner Taylor Stuckert and Zach Moore from the Warren County Regional Planning Commission.

Matt Purkey, Chair of the Judiciary Committee, said that this had been a long process and that while it may not be the most interesting, it is important.

“What happens is over time we grant variances and make amendments and eventually our code from the early ‘90s, as our Safety/Service Director Brian Shidaker put it, our zoning map looks like a tie-dye t-shirt,” said Purkey.

Purkey wanted to hold a public hearing to give other council members and locals a chance to express concerns or ask questions about the proposed code. Both Purkey and Council member Kelsey Swindler highlighted that a lot of the changes made were just to simplify parts of it.

The few citizens expressing concerns included Steven Sawzin, who handed out letters to each council member asking that they consider certain ideas that would protect property owners’ usage.

Bret Dixon mentioned he wanted to talk with them about aspects with business zoning and he wants to get some follow-up since he hadn’t attended a zoning meeting since July.

The next reading will occur at the Dec. 6 council meeting.