Planning staff updates council on Land Development Ordinance process, sign/historic/downtown modules next

Planning and Development Services Director Christopher Looney updated Council on progress revising the city’s Land Development Ordinance (LDO), a comprehensive, technical rewrite intended to implement the comprehensive plan, strategic plan and other adopted policies.

Looney said staff is finalizing the signs and historic-preservation module this month and will add a downtown form-based code submodule addressing blank walls, upper-story setbacks, design guidelines and limits on outdoor storage. Public meetings, a technical advisory committee and a citizen advisory committee are planned for early March to review the sign/historic/downtown modules.

Looney noted the LDO will consolidate more than 40 existing base zoning districts, overlays and special districts and will convert older "restricted districts" into special-use permits (SUPs) for clearer enforcement. The rewrite will also address subdivision-design standards, connectivity ratios, sidewalk triggers and other technical measures to encourage infill, tree canopy, housing variety and better connectivity.

He warned that state legislation in the current session could affect LDO provisions (for example, bills concerning accessory dwelling units, manufactured-home rules and rezoning supermajority triggers) and said staff will track and incorporate required changes. Looney proposed a phased adoption approach: public engagement now, consolidation into a combined draft in late spring, and sequential council consideration by module so council can digest complex sections in manageable parts.

Council members asked for clear measurement language for provisions such as alcohol-distance requirements, and Looney said staff would clarify measurement rules and bring them forward. No ordinance was adopted at the meeting; staff will schedule public meetings and return with consolidated drafts for further review.