Land Use Board recommends City Commission consider Northtown PUD rezoning for 20-acre parcel

The Livingston Consolidated Land Use Board on April 9 voted to recommend that the City Commission approve a zoning map amendment to create a planned unit development (PUD) on a 20.01-acre parcel in the Northtown area.

The PUD application from Northtown Development Corp. proposes to rezone the parcel from R-2 medium-density residential to a PUD and build approximately 240 dwelling units (a mix of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units) plus about 12,850 square feet of neighborhood-scale commercial space on the ground floor of the building nearest Scenic Trail. "They are proposing 240, dwelling units," Jennifer (city planning staff) told the board during her staff report.

The move to PUD status would allow the developer to replace standard area and density requirements with a site-specific approved plan and request limited incentives for public benefits. In this case the application proposes clustered buildings and design features that staff said would leave roughly 63.5% of the 20-acre parcel designated open space and seek one development incentive: a height increase from the R-2 maximum (34 feet, depending on roof pitch) to 40 feet. The developer did not commit to reserving any units as city-designated affordable housing; staff noted the city adopts an annual resolution that sets the local affordability thresholds.

Why it matters

The proposal drew sustained public comment and multiple technical questions from board members about traffic, stormwater, emergency access and topography. The LUB’s recommendation includes staff’s standard conditions and two additional items discussed at the meeting: an updated traffic impact study (incorporating nearby approved but not-yet-built plats) and a requirement for the developer to work with city staff on emergency response/access as phases are built. The commission will make the final legal decision.

What the plan would allow and why the PUD is proposed

The parcel is…