Blythewood architectural board endorses site-and-design chapter of draft land development ordinance

The Town of Blythewood Board of Architectural Review voted to recommend the draft Land Development Ordinance(LDO) chapter covering building and site design and the Architectural Overlay District to the Planning Commission at a regular meeting.

The board's recommendation followed a presentation by consultant Brian Mabry and questions from members and residents about density, notice and where the BAR's review fits in the broader adoption process. "We're getting close to adoption," Mabry said while describing the LDO structure and next steps.

The LDO consolidates development rules into a single, primarily online document designed to be more user-friendly for residents and technical users, Mabry said. He described the ordinance as the town's implementation tool for the comprehensive plan and said it removes duplications, reduces the number of zoning districts from 21 to 12 in the draft, and adds new sections such as a sustainability index, public art requirements and updated landscaping, parking and sign standards. "It's really an online document though and meant to be, kind of better used, in its online version," Mabry said.

Board and public discussion focused narrowly on the sections that fall under BAR authority: building form, materials, setbacks, heights and site design standards. Daniel (planning staff) told the board the BAR was being asked to review and recommend "the areas that apply to this board," meaning the Architectural Overlay provisions and the chapter addressing building and site design. "So at this juncture, we're just looking to have a recommendation, or a consensus from the BAR," Daniel said.

Several residents voiced concerns about density and notice. One resident, Heather, said she could not access the draft and felt unprepared: "I can't digest all of this a day, the end of my day. I can't digest all of this. I don't even know what I'm saying yes or no to." Staff responded that drafts and links had been distributed previously and that the Planning Commission and Town Council public hearings remain the formal opportunities for broader public comment.

Mabry walked through sampling of technical provisions: differing development types within districts (conventional, cluster and planned), open-space incentives tied to slightly higher permitted units per acre (examples given in the presentation included 2 units/acre conventional, 2.5 cluster and 3 planned), side-setback examples (15 ft, 12 ft and 10 ft in the sample slides) and the removal of the town's highest-density category (R5) from the draft code. Mabry cautioned that several slides were illustrative examples drawn from other jurisdictions and not necessarily exact to Blythewood's final text.

After discussion, a motion to recommend the site-and-design chapter and Architectural Overlay (AO) district to advance in the LDO process passed by voice vote. The board's recommendation will be included when the Planning Commission holds a public hearing and prepares its formal recommendation to the Town Council, which has final authority on adoption. Mabry said those hearings and a formal adoption step remain part of the schedule and that the process will continue through the Planning Commission and Town Council.

Votes at a glance - Motion: Recommend the LDO site-and-design chapter (including the Architectural Overlay District) to the Planning Commission. Outcome: approved by voice vote; tally not recorded in minutes. Motion and second were made; mover/second not specified in the transcript.

The meeting also included routine internal actions: the board elected officers for the year (Paul Muscotte as chair, Keith Bailey as vice chair and Kirk Wilson as secretary) by voice vote. Those elections were handled early in the meeting and recorded as approved by aye voice vote; specific tallies were not recorded in the transcript.

The BAR's role is advisory for the LDO overall; the Planning Commission will hold the formal public hearing and provide the primary recommendation to the Town Council. Staff and the consultant urged members and residents to use the formal public hearings to raise matters they want the Planning Commission or Town Council to address.