Planning Board hears city commission report; staff previews complete overhaul of land development code

Planning Board members heard a verbal report that the City Commission approved the Beresford Avenue/Blue Lake Cove annexation and related land‑use request and that city staff expect a comprehensive overhaul of the Land Development Code this year.

A board member said the Beresford/Blue Lake Cove annexation and the associated land-use request were approved by the City Commission after an initial motion failed and a second motion passed; the board was told those approvals concerned annexation and land use but did not include zoning. The board was also told that separate code amendments were approved on first reading at the commission and are scheduled for a second reading on the following Monday.

Board members discussed elements of the roadway project near Beresford and Blue Lake, noting that the roadway work is a county project and that planning documents had indicated a roundabout or similar traffic control at the intersection. The board also heard that staff expect to secure a consultant soon to lead the Land Development Code rewrite and plan topical workshops through the summer.

During the meeting, the board reviewed public-participation guidelines for Planning Board hearings, including a three-minute limit on individual speakers and a requirement that a representative of a group state name and address. The chair explained the board may terminate public participation on an item once no new issues are raised.

Procedural actions: The board approved the minutes of its Feb. 12 meeting; the vote was recorded with Nora Lewis abstaining and the other members voting in favor (Henry Thiry, Don Liska, Troy Baumgartner, Harper Hill and Jeremy Owens).