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Pensacola staff and consultants outline Land Development Code rewrite process; development review meeting planned
Summary
At the April 8 Planning Board meeting staff said they received first‑round comments from Inspire Placemaking on the Land Development Code (LDC) rewrite and expect the next draft in September; the city will host targeted workshops and a development‑process review meeting for permit users.
At the April 8, 2025 meeting the City of Pensacola Planning Board received an update on Phase 2 of the Land Development Code (LDC) rewrite. Staff said they have received the first draft of comments from Inspire Placemaking and plan to respond within about a month before a second draft is produced and shared with the public.
Cameron Ritz, a City staff member working on the LDC update, told the board that the initial review focuses on reorganization, consistency and clarification to make the code more user friendly. The process will include internal working sessions with public‑works, housing and other departments, followed by public workshops and open houses. "This first draft is still based largely around the reorganization, consistency and clarification of the document," Ritz said, summarizing the consultant's comments and next steps.
Staff described a multi-step public outreach approach that uses a web‑based “idea wall” with interactive comments and reactions in addition to in‑person open houses. The next publicly posted draft is expected to appear in September; staff said targeted virtual working sessions will precede that release so technical staff and stakeholders can address questions in smaller, focused meetings.
The mayor's office and development‑services staff are also organizing a development review meeting to solicit input from regular users of the permitting system — engineers, architects, developers, surveyors and others — and to examine opportunities to streamline permitting. Staff said the meeting will be promoted through the city's public information channels and professional groups. Planning Board members praised the public engagement tools and the virtual workshop approach as a practical way to get targeted technical feedback.
No formal action on the LDC was taken at the meeting. Staff said the rewrite will be carried forward alongside other planning work and that, where a single ordinance topic becomes contentious, the city may separate that item from the overall rewrite so it does not delay the full code update.
