Kevin Rudd explained that an email was included in their packets from Chris Hart. Lesley Mendenhall asked him to jot down some of his thoughts on the Zoning Ordinance. Since there will be two (2) new planning commissioners appointed and since Commissioner Scott is new, it would be better to put off diving into the Zoning Ordinance until there is a full Commission. It will only be a few weeks before the Commissioners are appointed.
Commissioner Reed felt the Commission could develop a plan to go forward since we have a broad picture coupled with integrating the Land Use Plan adjustments that have been made to the Zoning Ordinance so that the Zoning Ordinance reflects those changes. Council Member Hart’s comments echoes some of the same thoughts he has had which is that it seems that for all the money, time and effort that has been put into drafting, what is a very good Zoning Ordinance so as far it goes, we still have the lowest common denominator development such as enclaves, similar lots, etc. A few developers have been visionary, but the City needs to move forward in a planning process that provides more vision for property owners and developers who are not as visionary to develop the type of community that Vision Dixie has been working toward. Instead of homogeneous lots within a given density we need a variety of lots sizes, a variety of housing with interconnection between neighborhoods instead of enclaves. Given the effort that has already been put into the Zoning Ordinance, he doesn’t know how to get there from where we are now. It seems we don’t want to put that many restrictions on people. Rather than putting on restrictions, we need to find a mechanism that gives developers the incentive to create the type of development that is more conducive toward neighborhoods, interconnections, mixed-use and a wider variety of housing affordability options. He is in agreement with Council Member Hart’s comments.
Kevin Rudd felt that the Commissioners don’t have to create something new. There are communities that already have the vision that Commissioner Reed is referring to. There is a world of information on the internet and ordinances that are available. For example, he has been reviewing the new Land Use Plan that has an old township overlay which needs new zoning. The internet has several overlay ordinances that could be a starting point for the old township which deal with infill development. There is a lot of material available to help achieve that type of development.
Commissioner Reed would like to achieve that within the overlay, but as the City spreads out instead of just developing four a (4) block area create neighborhoods that have some variety within them and also have interconnectivity.
Kevin Rudd expressed that it will be difficult because it would require people to step out of the zoning box that they are already in. His approach has been instead of worrying about lot sizes work with just density. Figure out the density and the zoning, and if someone wants to be creative and develop some very large lots and smaller lots to create variety within the neighborhood, then it’s headed in the direction Commissioner Reed is talking about. This scares some people because they don’t want to have the one (1) acre lot, and then have an 8,000 square foot lot that will devalue the property.
Commissioner Reed felt that it is not the size but how well the development is done. Take it one step farther and give the developers an incentive or bonus to vary the lot sizes within an area so they can accomplish the mix. The design standards look good but at the same time the standards allow for a two-story nice, green cape cod house sitting at the City’s entrance. We don’t want to dictate the architectural style, but at the same time we should incentivize so that the developers get a reward and have a reason to do it. He suggested finding an ordinance that leans toward that direction rather than a carrot and stick. Most ordinances just deal with a stick.
Commissioner Scott agreed with Commissioner Reed’s philosophy. He asked how the review of Zoning Ordinance would be phased. It seems that the initial step is to define some new zones, but what Commissioner Reed is referring to is more involved and will take more time. Given the opportunity as defined by Commissioner Reed, does the Commission have access to some qualified land planning expertise or is it going to be internet searches, etc?
Kevin Rudd commented that the City may not have much funding to hire a professional planner. That has been done in the past to revise the Zoning Ordinance, and we have a nice Zoning Ordinance but the City paid dearly for it. However, he will discuss funding with the City Manager Judy Gubler.
Commissioner Reed felt there might be some motivated City Council Members who would be willing to or make some adjustments.
Dale Coulam mentioned that some consulting had already been done during the Land Use process. Chris Hart has outlined the tools that are available. There are some significant areas such as the Town Center that the Commissioners may want to predesign which would be form-based zoning. A consultant educated the Council on form base zoning. Certainly, more work could be done to flush that out but there are other areas such as the township area where a traditional neighborhood overlay may be useful. There could be other areas to incentivize that needs to be flushed out as well as modifying the Planned Development (PD) areas. Previously, the PD zone was an active approach but with the change in the Zoning Ordinance it really didn’t interest the developers anymore so they used other options that were available.
As far as how to phase the review, some of this is intertwined. As new zones are created to match the Land Use Plan, there will be possible areas where there could be form base zoning, overlays or the PD zoning which could go in a variety of areas of the City. There may be some funding for consultants, but he suggested being selective with some of the questions that need to be addressed by a consultant instead of a broad scope which would cost the City a lot of money. The review will be a broad approach and a lot of work. However, Kevin Rudd has outlined some zones for the new areas addressed on the Land Use Plan, and Chris Hart has identified the key areas that need to be addressed.
Commissioner Reed felt this is more than a review. The Zoning Ordinance hasn’t got us to where we want to be even though it addresses most issues.
Chairman Mehr asked if the Commissioners will get a formal direction of tasks or assignment from the City Council as to what the vision is.
Dale Coulam explained that the first direction is the Land Use Plan that the City Council has adopted. Then, put some meat to it and come up with some zones to address those areas. The Commissioners may have questions that need input from a consultant that may require a joint meeting with the City Council. For the most part the responsibility relies on this body to put something together and address divisions of the Land Use Plan and make a recommendation to the City Council.
Kevin Rudd explained that once a General Plan is adopted it is best to concentrate on the maps. Maps are visual and easy to look at. Sometimes we forget to refer back to the text of the General Plan. When reviewing the Zoning Ordinance and Land Use Plan, we should also review the text to make sure the direction we are going stays in line with what the text is saying.