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Land Development Code
City stalled on land use changes intended to preserve creative spaces
Six months after a pair of unanimous City Council votes, the city has made little progress in adopting changes to the land use code intended to incentivize the creation of music venues and other creative spaces at risk for displacement…
Land Development Code • By Chad Swiatecki • Feb 14, 2023
City moving forward with new floodplain maps from Atlas 14 rainfall study
The city is moving forward with its effort to update its floodplain maps, in anticipation of an expected increase in dramatic rainfall and flooding events caused by climate change over the next decade. Earlier this month, the Watershed Protection Department…
Land Development Code • By Chad Swiatecki • Dec 20, 2022
Council relaxes compatibility requirements along selected corridors
City Council has approved changes to building compatibility standards that will allow for some increases in housing density along a handful of transit corridors. The ordinance amending City Code Title 25 was approved Friday, modifying parking requirements and allowing for…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Dec 5, 2022
City reverses decision, granting variance from compatibility in storage unit case
City Council is set to consider the topic of compatibility on a larger scale Thursday. Meanwhile, the Board of Adjustment took a second swing at the issue on a more granular level, voting at its last meeting to overturn a…
Land Development Code • By Elizabeth Pagano • Nov 30, 2022
Planning Commission says Council’s compatibility reforms don’t go far enough
The Planning Commission last Tuesday recommended broader changes to compatibility standards than what City Council proposed earlier this year, setting the stage for a Council discussion on Dec. 1 over how much to relax the rule. Compatibility, a rule limiting…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Nov 22, 2022
City staffers push back on proposed changes to compatibility
A proposal by City Council to reduce compatibility along major streets would make the city’s Land Development Code more complicated while doing little to increase housing supply, city staffers told the Planning Commission last Tuesday. “We’re very supportive of the direction…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Nov 16, 2022
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Planning Commission recommends allowing housing in commercial zoning
The Planning Commission recommended a code change Tuesday to allow housing in more parts of the city. The change, if approved by City Council, would allow housing on 7,474 commercially zoned properties, boosting the city’s housing capacity by up to…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Nov 10, 2022
Council adopts new stormwater rules
After considerable delay and discussion, City Council finally approved new environmental regulations related to drainage, landscaping and green stormwater infrastructure on Thursday. Mackenzie Kelly was the only Council member to vote no, and Natasha Harper-Madison was off the dais. Last…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Nov 1, 2022
Code change to allow housing on commercial properties
A code change that would allow housing on commercial properties got an initial hearing at the Planning Commission Tuesday. After some discussion, the commission postponed the item until Nov. 8 amid concern over a recommendation by city staffers to not allow…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Oct 27, 2022
Council puts off making environmental code changes
City Council opted Thursday to postpone a decision on changes to the city’s environmental regulations related to drainage, landscape and site plan requirements. Staff and environmentalists argue the changes are important updates to regulations related to stormwater drainage, wastewater infrastructure,…
Land Development Code • By Jo Clifton • Oct 14, 2022
Planning Commission recommends enviro code updates with caveats
The Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously recommended that City Council approve only certain elements of a package of code updates aimed at making new development more environmentally friendly, and suggested Council retool or delay adoption of other elements. The complex…
Land Development Code • By Jonathan Lee • Oct 13, 2022
As affordability concerns linger, Planning Commission postpones enviro code changes
The Planning Commission postponed a vote Tuesday on a complex package of environmental and water quality code amendments. Commissioners say much work remains to understand the full impact of the changes, especially as they relate to housing affordability. While many…
