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Riverdale kicks off comprehensive land‑use code rewrite; consultant outlines timeline and public engagement
Summary
Riverdale has begun a comprehensive rewrite of its land‑use code (Title 10) with Hansen Planning Group, which presented a project website and a proposed engagement schedule and asked the planning commission how it prefers to receive drafts and provide feedback.
Riverdale staff introduced Hansen Planning Group (Mike Hansen and team) as the consultant the city retained to undertake a comprehensive rewrite of the City's land‑use code (Title 10). The consultant reviewed the project approach, public engagement plan, deliverables and scheduling options and requested planning commission feedback about review cadence and priorities.
Key points from the presentation and discussion:
- Project scope and intent: staff said the objective is a comprehensive Title 10 rewrite to align the code with the City's 2023 general plan and contemporary best practices. The consultant said the rewrite will be comprehensive rather than piecemeal and will aim to reduce ambiguous language, resolve internal interpretation conflicts and improve enforceability.
- Public engagement and transparency: the consultant launched a project website (riverdalecodeupdate.org) and described a working-draft document (Google Doc) that will be made available for review. The team plans a public comment form to capture feedback without opening the working document to unfiltered edits.
- Priority topics flagged in the general-plan audit and early interviews: moderate-income housing planning; riverfront and open-space preservation; transit and station-area considerations (the consultant flagged bus-rapid-transit proposals on regional plans and recommended additional homework on station-area planning); mixed-use corridor and overlay zones along Riverdale Road; landscaping and water-use / irrigation standards; conditional-use and subdivision code simplification; and clear, enforceable design standards.
- Technical and infrastructure issues: staff and consultant noted utility capacity (water, sewer) and traffic as recurring constraints for higher-density proposals; the consultant highlighted that some code sections may need close coordination with state rules (e.g., water-related statutes, airport-related height/approach restrictions).
- Schedule and review approach: the consultant asked commissioners how often and in what chunked format they would like drafts (the team suggested bite-sized, frequent drafts rather than a single massive package). Commissioners preferred smaller, regular work-session reviews (staff suggested using existing work‑session slots ahead of regular meetings), and asked to receive materials well in advance (a week when possible).
- Next steps: the consultant will deliver an internal memo summarizing the general-plan audit, a catalog of policy topics for commissioner feedback, and a proposed meeting schedule and chunking plan for code sections. Staff said public notice on the initiative will be posted soon and will be included in the city's newsletter and social media.
No formal action was taken; the session was informational and intended to begin the rewrite process and set timelines for future work sessions and public outreach.
