Committee members on July 29 asked planning staff to ensure council offices receive notifications for planning-board and zoning-board items at the same time the public does; staff said they would do so and the committee subsequently tabled formal action.
A committee member said that public notices for planning and zoning include council-district labels but that members’ offices often do not receive direct notice. “The biggest request that we all have is just that we're notified at the same time that the public is notified,” the member said on the record.
Crystal Middleton, Director of Planning and Zoning, said the office makes draft agendas and information available when they receive public notice. She told the committee that zoning-board-of-appeals and planning-board materials are typically available about 10 days before meetings, “give or take,” depending on whether zoning map amendments or special use permits must be forwarded from this legislative committee. Middleton said the department would forward agendas to council offices and specify which council districts are affected.
The committee opened the item for brief discussion, heard from Middleton and John Phil, principal planner, and then voted to table the item. The record shows a motion to close discussion and a subsequent motion to table the matter; the transcript excerpt does not include a formal roll-call tally.
The committee’s tabling leaves in place the planning office’s stated commitment to forward agendas and district information; the committee did not adopt additional formal notice rules at this meeting.