Proposed changes or amendments to the text of this chapter may be initiated by the Asheville City Council, the Asheville Planning and Zoning Commission, the board of adjustment, the planning and development director, any owner of a legal or equitable interest in land located in the city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction, or any resident of the city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction. Proposed zoning map amendments may be initiated by the Asheville City Council, the Asheville Planning and Zoning Commission, the board of adjustment, the planning and development director, or any owner of a legal or equitable interest in the property for which the map amendment is requested. A zoning study of a defined area may be requested upon submittal to the planning and development department of a petition signed by 51 percent of the property owners in the defined area for which the zoning study is requested who own at least 51 percent of the property (acreage) in the defined area for which the zoning study is requested. The area for which the zoning study is requested must be defined by the petitioners requesting the zoning study and may be of any size and include any number of individual contiguous parcels, including a public street. The area defined by the petitioners will be used by city staff to determine if the required 51 percent of property owners owning at least 51 percent of the property have signed the petition requesting the zoning study. Upon confirmation that the petition for a zoning study is valid, it shall be forwarded to the Asheville City Council for a determination of whether the zoning study should be initiated for the defined area and any portion thereof. The city council may initiate the zoning study, elect not to initiate the zoning study, or reduce the size of the area to be included in the zoning study and initiate a zoning study of the reduced area.
(Ord. No. 2369, § 1, 5-27-97)