Addison staff presents draft Unified Development Code; council questions parking, trees, lighting and signage

At a work session, staff presented a draft Unified Development Code, or UDC, that would consolidate development rules and add new requirements for circulation, parking, landscaping, exterior lighting and signs.

The draft matters because it would change how the town reviews and enforces development across multiple districts and would allow future text amendments only through the town’s normal public hearing processes. Leslie Hancock, a planning staff member presenting the draft, said the UDC “is really focused on implementing various multimodal opportunities” and emphasized new pedestrian and cross‑access standards to reduce conflicts between vehicles and people.

Staff told the council the UDC carries forward existing code enforcement procedures (notice of violation, roughly 10 days to cure, fines and escalation for public‑safety risks) while consolidating enforcement into the unified document. Hancock said zoning text amendments would still require two public hearings — first the Planning and Zoning Commission and then the city council — and public notice “per state law,” including notice to properties within 200 feet of affected parcels.

On circulation and pedestrian access, the UDC would require sidewalks on both sides of arterial and collector streets in Addison and add minimum sidewalk widths and crosswalk design standards. Hancock said the code would also require internal pedestrian access through large parking areas and a separate pedestrian entrance for parking garages.

The draft reduces several minimum parking ratios while adding alternative compliance options. Hancock gave the…