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On Tuesday, the LaGrange City Council approved ordinance amendments to eliminate the need for an extended public hearing period for halfway houses and modify the UDO to only require screening for heating and air units on commercial and industrial projects.

Both amendments were approved unanimously after second readings were held. Public hearings were held for both issues on July 8 but no one from the public spoke for or against either measure.

The first amendment was brought on by a change in state law that removed the requirement for an extended public hearing period for any new halfway homes or rehabilitation facility.  State law previously required a six-month public hearing period before cities could approve any halfway house or drug rehab center, which was incorporated into local law.

This year the state approved a bill so that halfway houses could be zoned on a schedule like every other property instead of requiring the six-month waiting period. All zoning changes, including those for new halfway homes and rehabilitation facilities, still require a published call for a public hearing and two additional weeks before they can be approved with a second reading.

The other change will eliminate screening requirements for heating and air units for residential properties.

The rule will still apply to commercial and industrial properties but commercial HVAC units are often hidden away on rooftops.

City Planner Mark Kostial said the interest in the change came from residential developers, who say it’s impractical to plant vegetation around HVAC equipment because it makes it difficult to maintain and leads to failure of the equipment.

The change was unanimously approved by the council.

In other business, the city council:

4 Held a first reading to increase the speed limit on Ann Bailey Way from 35 to 35.

4 Called for a public hearing on Aug. 27 to hear comments on a proposed UDO text amendment to modify garage door width, minimum porch dimensional standard, and minimum lot frontage requirements for single-family detached homes.

4 Modified the minimum bid for a surplus 0.9-acre parcel on Edgewood Avenue to $10,000 and called for new bids.