 |
PLANNING AND ZONING
Home-Based Businesses
Over the past several years, across the country, the number of people working out of their homes has increased. Many workers have chosen telecommuting as a way to continue their careers while having the opportunity to spend more time with their families. Some corporations have embraced telecommuting with open arms. With the employee working at home, space is freed up at headquarters, which reduces overhead costs. Another benefit is that many employees tend to be more productive when work and family life is better balanced.
Along with telecommuting, corporations have also downsized their workforces to cut expenses and improve their return on investment. As the corporations downsize, more and more workers are taking advantage of the opportunity to start their own businesses. As a result, the number of home-based businesses has increased over the past several years.
The City of O’Fallon currently has 143 home-based businesses (including daycare facilities) registered to do business in our City. While we wholeheartedly applaud our citizens who are entrepreneurially inclined, and thoroughly understand the challenges involved in launching a new business, we remain committed to maintaining the character of our wonderful neighborhoods. To ensure that neighborhoods are not negatively impacted by home-based businesses, we look very closely at each and every application that is submitted to make certain that the business meets our Zoning Code, Section 3.02, which regulates home-based business activities.
In a nutshell, Section 3.02 lists nine criteria that must be met in order for the home-based business application to be approved. For example, business must be conducted solely by the persons residing in the home and the business use must be clearly secondary in nature. The total square footage used for the business cannot exceed one-half of the total floor square footage on the first floor of the home. No advertising, display or other indications of the business is allowed on the premises, except the customary sign or nameplate for identification purposes only. Home-based businesses are not allowed to sell bulk merchandise, supplies, or products and exterior storage on the premises is not allowed.
Of great importance to the neighbors of home-based businesses is that no offensive noises, vibration, smoke, dust, odors, heat or glare noticeable at or beyond the property line is allowed. Equally important to neighbors is that home-based businesses that include studios or rooms for instruction, are required to provide additional off-street parking on the same lot as the business.
Examples of the types of home-based businesses that are typically approved (provided all requirements are met) include: professional offices, art studios, dressmaking or millinery, and teaching, with musical instruction limited to two pupils at a time.
If you wish to begin a home-based business, a complete application packet can be found on our web site at www.ofallon.org. Simply click on the City Departments button on our home page, the Planning & Zoning link, and then the Starting a Home-Based Business link located on the left side of the page. You may also contact our Planning & Zoning Department at 624-4500, Ext. 4.
Once you submit the required application paperwork, please allow two to three weeks for processing and approval. Once approval has been granted, all that remains to do is return your approved application to the City Clerk’s Office along with a $25 fee and your business registration will be issued. The registration is valid for one year. You can help us to maintain the high quality of our neighborhoods by being aware of our Zoning Code regarding home-based businesses and following the application and registration process when establishing your business.
We are all proud of our wonderful community and want it to remain the best place in the Metro East to reside. If you are aware of a current home-based business operating that has not completed the application and registration process, please contact our Planning & Zoning Department.
Scott Air Force Base/MidAmerica Airport Joint Land Use Study (JLUS)
The City of O’Fallon has partnered with St. Clair County, Shiloh, country-regionLebanon, and Mascoutah to conduct a Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) to address the need for coordinated land use planning and development policies between the neighboring civilian communities and Scott Air Force Base. The JLUS study will be conducted over the next 12 months in concert with a lead consultant (yet to be identified) and representatives from Scott AFB, and will be funded by the Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment. The primary purpose of the JLUS is to ensure 1) that local economic development can prosper without reducing national defense readiness and the effectiveness of Scott AFB, and 2) that the military missions at Scott AFB can be sustained without negatively impacting the
public health, safety and welfare of surrounding communities.
This JLUS project will seek to determine what the respective local governments, the military, and other agencies can do to pro actively prepare and plan for the near-future and long-term development of the area around the airfield complex.
| |
