By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays City Commission heard details of a design contract for the reconstruction of 32nd/33rd Street in Hays at its work session on Thursday.
In 2025, a section of 32nd/33rd Street from Willow to Vine will be reconstructed, and the intersection of Skyline and 33rd Street will be widened.
The low bid of $67,000 was received from Driggs Design Group of Hays.
Jesse Rohr, Public Works director, said the low bid was substantially lower than the $160,000 that the city had budgeted for the project's design.
The funds are set to come from the city's capital reserve fund.
Rohr said the goal was to keep at least one traffic lane open during the construction.
Once construction begins, he said it should take three to four months to complete.
Zoning
In November 2021, the city of Hays and Ellis County reduced the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction by about 60%. The designated area is where the city’s zoning and subdivision regulations are enforceable.
The Hays Area Planning Commission approved changes to the city’s Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map by resolution during a recent annual review and after a public hearing on Feb. 19, 2024.
The city commission discussed these proposed changes at its meeting Thursday. The proposed Future Land Use Map is below.
Rohr called the land use map a living document, which is subject to change. He said the map also helps the planning and city commissions make rezoning decisions.
City commissioners also discussed consolidating the duties of the Hays Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals.
Hays has a separate Board of Zoning Appeals but has had difficulty filing the appeals board.
The Board of Zoning Appeals only meets when it has a case and met only three time last year.
The Unified Development Code also has resulted in fewer cases going to the appeals board, Rohr said.
Commissioner Sandy Jacobs asked if it would be better to have the decision making processes spread among more people.
Rohr said the consolidation should not be an issue, and it would integrate decision-making.
Ellis County already has a consolidated planning and appeals board.
The Planning Commission has seven members. All the seats on that commission are full. Its membership would stay the same under the proposal.
The Planning Commission voted on Feb. 19 to recommend consolidation of the boards.
If the Hays City Commission votes to accept the proposals, the consolidation could take effect immediately.
The design bid, Future Land Use Map and Board of Zoning Appeals consolidation will all likely be on the city commission's next regular meeting agenda on Thursday, April 25.