The City of Nacogdoches and Mayor Roger Van Horn are hosting Coffee with the Mayor on Thursday, March 29th, 2012. The event will be held in the City Council Chambers from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., located at 202 E. Pilar Street. Coffee and light refreshments will be served. Discussions concerning issues that affect residential neighborhoods, including the City’s single family occupancy limit will be discussed.
Coffee with the Mayor allows citizens a chance to offer fresh ideas and workable solutions on ways to improve Nacogdoches in a less formal setting than a City Council meeting. In addition to Mayor Roger Van Horn, City Staff, including Police Chief Jim Sevey, Fire Chief Keith Kiplinger and City Planner Larissa Philpot will be on hand to discuss various issues. Single family zoning issues will be a priority at the meeting, but other issues that affect the quality of life in Nacogdoches neighborhoods will also be addressed. Other topics include noise, alcohol, and traffic violations as well as code issues such as weeds, trash, and unsafe structures. “The City aims to provide a better quality of life for all of our citizens, especially in the neighborhoods in which they reside. This is a great opportunity for open discussion between staff and residents,” said City Manager Jim Jeffers.
With over 32,000 residents residing inside the city limits, including thousands of Stephen F. Austin State University students, City staff continues to monitor and address single family zoning issues on a very regular basis. The City of Nacogdoches zoning ordinance states that no more than two unrelated individuals may reside at a residence located in both R-1 and R-2 areas. Planning department staff is developing possible ordinance revisions that would equip staff with the tools necessary to better enforce and regulate the single family zoning occupancy limit. “Single family zoning violations continue to be the number one zoning violation in our department, a problem most college towns face” said City Planner Larissa Philpot, “we are looking forward to discuss the issues and possible solutions at the next Coffee with the Mayor.”
For more information or questions about Coffee with the Mayor, please contact the City Manager’s Office at 936-559-2502. For more information on the single family zoning occupancy limit please contact the City of Nacogdoches Planning Department at 936-559-2574.
