City staff update board on Unified Development Code overhaul; board and public emphasize urban forest and implementation details

Lede Tom Rogers of the Community Development Department briefed the Urban Parks and Forestry Advisory Board on March 27 about the city’s multi-phase update to the Unified Development Code (UDC), which implements the city’s growth policy and the PRAT plan; no board action was taken.

Nut graf Rogers described the UDC project as a multi-year rewrite and engagement process to implement the community plan and to comply with recent state legislative changes. The presentation covered what chapter 38 contains (development standards, parkland dedication, transportation pathways), the supplementary engagement plan and recent public workshops; board members and public commenters pressed staff to clarify how the UDC will treat trees, wetlands and linear parkland.

Body Tom Rogers, representing the Community Development Department, told the board, “This UDC thing, is really what implements the community plan, the growth policy.” He said the code rewrite touches…