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Staff proposes allowing annexation and zone-change applications to run concurrently to speed development review
Summary
Planning staff recommended the UDC be amended to allow applicants petitioning to annex property to file a zone-change application concurrently, a procedural change proponents said would reduce delay and help with economic-development deals; developers and economic development counsel supported the idea at the hearing.
Planning staff proposed an amendment to the Unified Development Code that would permit owners petitioning to annex property to submit a zone-change application concurrently with the annexation petition rather than waiting until annexation is complete.
Proponents argued allowing the two processes to run concurrently reduces timeline risk, clarifies expectations about future zoning at the time of annexation, and can help economic-development negotiations where a private user requires city services and a zoning designation before committing to a project.
"The request is simply to allow annexations and zone changes to run concurrently," planning presenter Kristen Sager said. Economic development and land-use attorneys and developers at the hearing supported the change. "I think it makes sense for the normal course to say okay here's my annexation, here's my proposed pre-plat, and here's my zone cases that go along with that so that we can have a conversation all at once," said Mault McClendon, who described himself as a local practitioner and supporter of periodic UDC review.
Staff said the change would not alter the substantive review standards for zoning; it would only allow the two procedural processes to proceed in parallel and let the council and commission consider zoning while annexation is pending. The Planning and Zoning Commission will consider the amendment at its June 5 meeting and forward a recommendation to council; council is scheduled to consider the full UDC package June 24.
