Orange County holds first public hearing on Orange Code and Vision 2,050; staff, schools and residents press for details

Orange County planners and community members spent the May 6 meeting reviewing a set of four draft ordinances that together implement a new zoning and land-development code ("Orange Code") and the Vision 2,050 update to the county comprehensive plan. Staff described the session as the first of two public hearings and said the board will consider final adoption at its June 3 meeting.

The county's planning manager, Alberto Vargas, framed the package as a coordinated update to a 68-year-old zoning code intended to implement a smart-growth vision for the county. "This is the first of 2 public hearings," Vargas said, adding that the proposed rules replace use-based zoning with form- and place-based standards, increase predictable design standards, and create new review pathways.

Why it matters: County staff said Vision 2,050 and Orange Code are intended to focus growth in areas where infrastructure already exists,…