(a) Review—general. Following receipt of a recommendation on a proposed amendment, the Asheville City Council shall hold a public hearing on the proposed amendment. The public hearing will be scheduled and conducted as provided by city council's rules of procedure. Notice of the hearing shall be provided in accordance with the provisions of section 7-5-20 of this chapter and the North Carolina General Statutes.
(b) Action.
(1) Before acting on any proposed amendment, the Asheville City Council shall consider any recommendation made by the Asheville Planning and Zoning Commission, the recommendation submitted by the Planning and Development Department to the Asheville Planning and Zoning Commission, the comments made at the public hearing, and any other relevant additional information.
(2) With the exception of conditional zonings as described in section 7-7-8, when considering a proposed amendment, the Asheville City Council will not evaluate the petition based on any specific proposal for the use or development of the property. The petitioner shall not use any graphic materials or descriptions of the proposed development except for those which would apply to all uses permitted by the requested classification.
(3) Upon reviewing all pertinent information, the Asheville City Council may:
a. Adopt the proposed amendment;
b. Reject the proposed amendment;
c. Refer the proposed amendment back to the Asheville Planning and Zoning Commission for further consideration or hearing; or
d. Modify the proposed amendment.
(4) Considerations during decisions. Prior to adopting or rejecting any zoning amendment, the city council shall adopt a statement describing whether its action is consistent with the comprehensive plan and any other applicable plan, and shall state why the action taken is considered to be reasonable and in the public interest.
(Ord. No. 2369, § 1, 5-27-97; Ord. No. 2843, § 1(f), 8-28-01; Ord. No. 3306, § 1(f), 11-22-05; Ord. No. 3374, § 1(s), 7- 11-06; Ord. No. 4381, § 1(Y), (Z), 6-8-21)