(A) Hearing with published notice. Before adopting, amending, or repealing any provision of this chapter, the Board of Aldermen shall hold a legislative hearing. A notice of the hearing shall be given once a week for two successive calendar weeks in a newspaper having general circulation in the area. The notice shall be published the first time not less than ten days nor more than 25 days before the date scheduled for the hearing. In computing such period, the day of publication is not to be included but the day of the hearing shall be included.
(B) No amendment to this chapter or the Official Zoning Map of Richlands that down-zones property shall be initiated nor is it enforceable without the written consent of all property owners whose property is the subject of the down-zoning amendment, unless the down-zoning amendment is initiated by the town. For purposes of this prohibition, DOWN-ZONING means a zoning ordinance that affects an area of land in one of the following ways: (a) by decreasing the development density of the land to be less dense than was allowed under its previous usage, or (b) by reducing the permitted uses of the land that are specified in a zoning ordinance or land development regulation to fewer uses than were allowed under its previous usage.
(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021)