Introduction; floating zone. A floating zone district
defines a use, such as an office complex, educational institution,
research laboratory, or multifamily housing, that the community wants
to encourage. The floating zone can be affixed to a qualifying parcel
of land, either upon approval of the application of the parcel's owner
or upon the initiative of the City Council. Upon approval, the parcel
is rezoned to reflect the new use and becomes its own zoning district;
its development is governed by the use, dimensional and other provisions
of the floating zone regulations. Floating zones are distinct from
overlay zones because of several features, the most significant of
which is that floating zones are not mapped until legally placed,
while overlay zones are mapped. The substantive difference is that
a floating zone replaces an underlying zoning district, while overlays
work in tandem with existing underlying zoning districts.
