Staff ReportSTAFF REPORT
Hearing Date: March 3, 2011 E IDIAN =`''
TO: Planning & Zoning Commission
FROM: Bill Parsons, Associate City Planner
(208) 884-5533
SUBJECT: CPAT-11-001 -Comprehensive Plan Revamp
1. SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF APPLICANT'S REQUEST
The City of Meridian Planning Department has submitted an application for a Comprehensive Plan
Text Amendment (CPAT) that proposes to revamp the 2002 version of the Comprehensive Plan (the
Plan).
Items addressed with the subject application include the following: 1) adoption of the 2010 Existing
Conditions Report as an addendum to the Plan; 2) updates to the text of the Plan; 3) changes and
additions to the goals, objectives and action items contained in the Plan and 4) a complete reformat of
the Plan. No changes to the Future Land Use Map are proposed with the subject application.
2. SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of the proposed text amendment to the Comprehensive Plan based on the
analysis provided below and the Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law listed in Exhibit B of the
staff report.
3. PROPOSED MOTION
Approval
After considering all staff, applicant and public testimony, I move to recommend approval to the City
Council of File Number CPAT-11-001 as presented in the staff report for the hearing date of March 3,
2011 with the following comments: (Add any proposed comments.)
Denial
After considering all staff, applicant and public testimony, I move to recommend denial to the City
Council of File Number CPAT-11-001 as presented during the hearing on March 3, 2011, for the
following reasons: (State specific reasons for denial of the subject CPAT application.)
Continuance
After considering all staff, applicant and public testimony, I move to continue File Number CPA-11-
001 to the hearing date of (insert continued hearing date here) for the following reason(s): (State
specific reason(s) for a continuance.)
4. APPLICATION
a. Site Address/Location: City wide
b. Applicant/Representative:
Caleb Hood, Planning Manager
City of Meridian Planning Department
33 E. Broadway Avenue
Meridian, Idaho 83642
c. Applicant's Statement/Justification: See applicant's narrative for this information.
5. PROCESS FACTS
a. The subject application is for a Comprehensive Plan Text Amendment. A public hearing is
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required before the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council on this matter, consistent
with Unified Development Code, Title 11, Chapter 5.
b. Newspaper notifications published on: February 14 and 28, 2011
c. A public service announcement was broadcast faxed on February 11, 2011 regarding this
application.
6. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ANALYSIS
The Comprehensive Plan is a visionary document that contains goals and objectives that encourage
and promote well designed communities. By continuing to update the Comprehensive plan, it
provides opportunities for the community and City staff to measure the success of the plan and its
impact on the community with the ultimate goal being that the City of Meridian is a premier place to
live, work and raise a family. Staff believes the revamped plan should provide the necessary guidance
to measure future progress as it relates to transportation, land development, public facilities,
recreational amenities, housing, economic development and community needs.
The specific objectives and actions that support the proposed text amendment are listed below:
• Chapter IV, Goal I, Objective A, Action 4 (page 26) -Adopt, maintain, and update the
comprehensive plan to accommodate growth.
The City of Meridian has experienced a lot of growth since the adoption of the 2002
Comprehensive Plan. This growth has necessitated the need to revamp the plan so it can
accurately portray the successes the community has achieved since the last comprehensive plan
update. Thus, a separate document (The Existing Conditions Report) is proposed as an addendum
that deals with the "where we have been "aspect of the plan.
In addition, City Staff has reviewed the current comprehensive plan and has found outdated text
and many action items that are either completed, obsolete, or need to be amended. Additionally,
changes in the economy and society have shifted some of the priorities in the plan as well, thus
creating the need for entirely new action items. Once the plan is adopted, staff believes the
revamped plan will be the vision plan that directs future development and will be used as a tool
by which City Departments can accommodate growth and measure future progress.
• Chapter VIII, Goal I, Action 2 (page 118) -Review the status of the implementation actions
(Table VIII-1) to ensure steady progress on all items.
As part of the Comprehensive plan changes, staff has reviewed the action items contained in the
current plan. After further review of the document, it was identified that many of the action items
were completed, obsolete, or in need of modification so they more closely reflect the economic
and societal shifts in the community.
Many of the action items have been modified, completed, removed or carried-over with the
proposed text amendment. The spread sheet identifies the responsible party and the priority level
for the action item. Staff is of the opinion that these action items should be used to measure the
future success of the new comprehensive plan. NOTE: If the proposed application is approved,
Table VIII-l will no longer exist. Instead a new implementation plan will replace it.
7. ANALYSIS
a. Analysis of Facts Leading to Staff Recommendation:
CPA TEXT AMENDMENT (CPAT): The subject application proposes a host of changes to the
Plan, including significant updates to the text and reformat, adopting the Existing Conditions Report
as an addendum to the plan, substantial changes to the Goals, Objectives, and Actions Items, and new
mixed use exhibits.
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Since the adoption of the 2002 Comprehensive Plan, Meridian has changed significantly. As part of
the ongoing planning process, planning staff is proposing to update and revise the Comprehensive
Plan to better reflect current conditions and opinions within the City of Meridian.
To aid in this process, the Planning Department was responsible for soliciting comments from the
community, other City Departments and the outside agencies. Other City departments worked closely
with Planning Staff to ensure relevant action items that address transportation, public utilities, parks,
housing, economic development, land use, sustainability and public facilities.
In addition, a town hall meeting was held in October 2010 to hear what community members had to
say about priorities for the City. Planning Staff also received feedback from COMPASS, ACRD,
VRT and the Meridian Chamber of Commerce on the proposed changes. For specific comments from
the outside agencies, please refer to the accompanying PDF files.
The layout of the Comprehensive Plan has been entirely reorganized and new policies (goals,
objectives and action items) inserted. The new layout is divided into several chapters each with an
introduction and short description of how the City would like to improve upon the associated topic.
The associated Goals, Objectives, and Action Items are at the end of each chapter. The Chapters are
generally organized by topics required to be covered under Idaho State Code, for municipal
Comprehensive Plans. Following the end of the document, several appendixes help to clarify
terminology, provide additional information, and include supportive maps.
Using public feedback, internal departmental communications, and topic-specific sub committees,
every Goal, Objective, and Action Item from the current Comprehensive Plan was re-evaluated and if
needed, updated, expanded upon, or removed if accomplished or no longer relevant. Additionally,
changes in the economy and society have shifted the importance of some topics and created a need for
entirely new policies in others.
Included in the subject CPAT request is a proposal to adopt an Existing Conditions Report as an
addendum to the plan. The Existing Conditions Report represents aspects of "where we have been" as
a community. The revamped Comprehensive Plan is meant to focus on the future, shortening the
original document and allowing it to focus on "where we are going". Other documents that were
previously adopted as part of the City's Comprehensive Plan; continue to be part of the plan. These
documents include: The Ten Mile Specific Area Plan, the Master Pathway Plan, and the City of
Meridian Design Manual.
In 2010, some of the mixed use designations contained in the Plan were updated along with mixed-
use exhibits. At the time, the exhibits were meant as place holders until better exhibits could be
generated. Now, new figures for the various Mixed Use designations have been finished, and are
included within the subject application (Chapter 3). Staff believes that these images offer far greater
clarity of intent than previous material and will be of great value to the City.
Staff is not aware of any opposition to the proposed text amendment. Staff believes the proposed
amendment to the text of the comprehensive plan provides an improved guide to future growth and
development in Meridian.
Due to the size of the revamped plan, the existing conditions report, agency comments, strike-
through version of the goals, objectives and action items and the new goals, objectives and action
item documents, these items will accompany the staff report as separate PDF files.
8. EXHIBIT
A. Required Findings from the Unified Development Code
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A. Required Findings from Unified Development Code
1. Comprehensive Plan Amendment Findings
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 an amendment to
the Comprehensive Plan, the Council shall make the following findings:
a. The proposed amendment is consistent with the other elements of the Comprehensive
Plan.
The revamped plan contains all of the fifteen (15) elements required by Idaho State Statute.
In fact, these elements have been expanded upon and a new sustainability chapter has been
added. The focus of these elements is incorporated in the updated policies (goals, objective
and action items) at the end of each chapter. Staff finds the revamped comprehensive plan
clearly defines the vision for each of the elements and will provide the necessary guidance to
measure future progress of the plan.
b. The proposed amendment provides an improved guide to future growth and
development of the city.
Staff finds that the proposed text amendment provides an improved guide to future growth
and development within the city. New mixed-use exhibits, updated policies, as well as
updates to the text clearly convey the City's vision to stakeholders.
c. The proposed amendment is internally consistent with the Goals, Objectives and
Policies of the Comprehensive Plan.
Staff finds that the proposed amendment is internally consistent with the Goals, Objectives,
and Policies of the Comprehensive Plan. All goals, objectives and action items were
thoroughly reviewed by City Departments, and subject to review by the public and other
Ada County agencies, to determine which ones were to be removed, modified or carried-
over to the revamped Comprehensive Plan.
d. The proposed amendment is consistent with the Unified Development Code.
Staff finds the proposed text amendment provides the necessary guidance to effectively
administer the requirements of the Unified Development Code.
e. The amendment will be compatible with existing and planned surrounding land uses.
Staff finds that the proposed text amendment will be compatible with existing and planned
land uses for the area because no changes are proposed to the future land use map, the
legend of the map or any land uses described in the text of the plan.
f. The proposed amendment will not burden existing and planned service capabilities.
Staff finds that the proposed amendment would not burden existing and planned service
capabilities in this area of the city. The proposed text amendment further clarifies future
expansion of public services.
g. The proposed map amendment (as applicable) provides a logical juxtaposition of uses
that allows sufficient area to mitigate any anticipated impact associated with the
development of the area.
NA
h. The proposed amendment is in the best interest of the City of Meridian.
Staff finds that the proposed amendment is in the best interest of the City because the
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revamped Plan better conveys the future vision for the City of Meridian and includes the
necessary policy statements and metrics for evaluating the progress of achieving the vision.
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