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PZ - Staff ReportUDC Text Amendment 2015 and Design Manual Revamp – H-2015-0011 1 STAFF REPORT HEARING DATE: November 19, 2015 TO: Planning and Zoning Commission FROM: Bill Parsons, Planning Supervisor 208-884-5533 SUBJECT: H-2015-0011 - UDC Text Amendment 2015 and Meridian Design Manual Revamp I. SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF APPLICANT’S REQUEST The Planning Division of the Community Development Department has applied to amend the text of certain sections of the Unified Development Code (UDC) and revamp the City of Meridian Design Manual as follows: 1) definitions; residential dimensional standards; fencing; structure and site and multi -family design standards; common open space and site amenity requirements; specific use standards for drinkin g establishments, flex space and home occupations; timelines for signatures on development agreements; subdivision design and improvement standards and other miscellaneous sections; AND 2) Reformat of the Meridian Design Manual including reducing duplicate guidelines; removing site design and transportation related guidelines; emphasize architectural elements and change the name of the Design Manual to the City of Meridian Architectural Standards Manual. NOTE: All of the proposed text changes to the UDC and the Meridian Design Manual and the support documents have been provided as separate PDF documents for the Commission’s and Council’s review and consideration. II. SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends approval of the proposed text amendments to the UDC and the revamped Design Manual based on the analysis provided in Section VII and the Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law listed in Exhibit B. III. PROPOSED MOTION Approval After considering all staff, applicant and public testimony, I move to recommend approval to the City Council of File Number H-2015-0011 as presented in the staff report for the hearing date of November 19, 2015 with the following modifications: (add any proposed modifications.) Denial After considering all staff, applicant and public testimony, I move to recommend denial to the City Council of File Number H-2015-0011 as presented during the hearing on November 19, 2015 for the following reasons: (You should state specific reasons for denial.) UDC Text Amendment 2015 and Design Manual Revamp – H-2015-0011 2 Continuance After considering all staff, applicant and public testimony, I move to continue File Number H-2015- 0011, to (insert specific hearing date), and direct staff to make the following changes: (insert comments here.) IV. APPLICATION FACTS A. Site Address/Location: Citywide B. Applicant: Planning Division, Community Development Department City of Meridian 33 E. Broadway Avenue, Ste. 102 Meridian, Idaho 83642 C. Applicant's Statement/Justification: See applicant’s narrative for more information. V. PROCESS FACTS A. The subject application is for a Unified Development Code Text Amendment as determined by City Ordinance. By reason of the provisions of the Meridian City Code Title 11 Chapter 5, a public hearing is required before the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council on this matter. B. Newspaper notifications published on: November 2, and 16, 2015 (Commission) C. A public service announcement was broadcast via email on November 6, 2015 (Commission) regarding this application. D. The proposed amendment was vetted through the UDC and Design Manual Focus Groups. These changes were also presented to the Building Contractors Association of Southwest Idaho at their official meeting on August 11, 2015. BCA has submitted official comments on the subject application which are included as part of the public record. VI. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN POLICIES AND GOALS The City’s Comprehensive Plan is a vision and policy document for guiding development and the transportation needs in the City of Meridian. In 2009, the Design Manual was adopted as an addendum to the Comprehensive Plan. The Design Manual includes guidelines and citywide design review process that encourages the aesthetic development of the physical and built environments with the goal of providing an attractive, livable community. Staff finds that the subject Unified Development Code Text Amendment complies with and furthers the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan. The specific objectives and actions that support the proposed amendment are listed below:  “Keep current the Unified Development Code and Future Land Use Map to implement the provisions of this plan.” (7.01.01A) Over the past year, the Planning Division has kept a running list of proposed changes that staff believes are necessary to efficiently administer the UDC and eliminate vague language. The UDC Text Amendment 2015 and Design Manual Revamp – H-2015-0011 3 proposed UDC amendment is meant to keep the UDC and the Design Manual relevant with current development trends in the City without compromising life, safety or the general welfare of the community. As part of the public outreach, staff solicited comments from a broad range of developers, design professionals and the BCA to provide better transparency regarding the proposed revisions. A majority of the suggestions received from these groups have been incorporated in the revision s of these documents.  “Enforce City Codes.” (3.05.02D) The proposed revisions in this application represent changes that City Staff believes will make the implementation and use of the UDC and the Meridian Design Manual more understandable and enforceable. VII. ANALYSIS The Planning Division is requesting approval of a UDC text amendment application to 1) update certain sections of the Unified Development Code (UDC) and 2) revamp the City of Meridian Design Manual (DM). The first part of the subject application proposes modifications to the following UDC sections: definitions, residential dimensional standards, fencing, structure and site and multi -family design standards, common open space and site amenities requirements, specific use standards for drinking establishments, flex space and home occupations, timelines for signatures on development agreements, subdivision design and improvement standards and various other miscellaneous sections. An accompanying table in PDF format lists the applicable UDC section, topic, explanation of the change and a strike-out/underline version of the proposed UDC text changes. Part two proposes an “overhaul” of the Meridian Design Manual (DM). Since its inception in 2009, this document has seen very few revisions. The changes are proposed in effort to streamline the process and develop guidelines that are more expressive and enforced by the UDC. The document name is also changing from the City of Meridian Design Manual, to the City of Meridian Architectural Standards Manual. Due to the significance of work and complexity of the Design Manual, and because the method of application is changing, there are no strike-through and underline changes. However, all previous Design Manual guidelines and their transfer or removal were tracked throughout this update. Included with the application submittal are three (3) separate exhibits. The first two (2) are for non- residential and residential express standards and both list the proposed text, what districts the standard is applicable to, and where the standard came from. In most cases either an original Design Manual guideline or Unified Development Code section is listed, along with the original text. The third and longest exhibit lists all of the removed items. In most cases these were either types of headings or duplicate items. Currently, the applicable guidelines for design review are determined based on a matrix using land use, zoning, location within the City, and other specific criteria. The new Architectural Standards Manual (ASM) relates directly to building type, non-residential or residential, and the zoning district as outlined in the Unified Development Code (UDC). Non-residential buildings fall into three types: Commercial Districts, Traditional Neighborhood Districts, and Industrial Districts. Residential Districts are either single-family or multi-family, with single-family standards being applicable only as part of a development agreement approved by City Council. To demonstrate the purpose and the intent of the proposed expressed standards, new graphics have also been incorporated into the proposed ASM. UDC Text Amendment 2015 and Design Manual Revamp – H-2015-0011 4 All of the proposed changes to the UDC and Design Manual including the support documents are attached for review in PDF format. Further, Staff has vetted a majority of the proposed changes with various design professionals and outside organizations with the hope of obtaining more transparency as the City embarks on changes to these documents. In summary, the changes proposed in this application represent changes that City Staff believes will make the implementation and use of the UDC and the Meridian Design Manual more understandable and enforceable. VIII. EXHIBITS A. Required Findings from the Unified Development Code UDC Text Amendment 2015 and Design Manual Revamp – H-2015-0011 5 Exhibit A – Required Findings from Unified Development Code 1. Unified Development Code Text Amendments: Upon recommendation from the Commission, the Council shall make a full investigation and shall, at the public hearing, review the application. In order to grant a text amendment to the Unified Development Code, the Council shall make the following findings: A. The text amendment complies with the applicable provisions of the comprehensive plan; Staff finds that the proposed UDC text amendment complies with the applicable provisions of the Comprehensive Plan. Please see Comprehensive Plan Policies and Goals, Section 6, of the Staff Report for more information. B. The text amendment shall not be materially detrimental to the public health, safety, and welfare; and Staff finds that the proposed zoning ordinance amendment will not be detrimental to the public health, safety or welfare. It is the intent of the text amendments to further the health, safety and welfare of the public. C. The text amendment shall not result in an adverse impact upon the delivery of services by any political subdivision providing public services within the City including, but not limited to, school districts. Staff finds that the proposed zoning ordinance amendment does not propose any significant changes to how public utilities and services are provided to developments. All City departments, public agencies and service providers that currently review applications will continue to do so. Please refer to any written or oral testimony provided by any public service provider(s) when making this finding.