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Board flags parkland amendment timing that could allow rezoning before protections take effect
Summary
Members raised concerns that proposed language about extending lease terms and requiring unanimous commission approval for long-term parkland leases could create a window allowing rezonings or re-designations before a charter amendment becomes effective; board asked staff to revisit wording.
The board examined a commission-requested change concerning the treatment of parkland and long-term leases. Staff explained the commission was considering allowing leases, licenses or concessions longer than 50 years only with a unanimous vote, and that the charter language was intended to preserve parkland from private conversion without full commission support.
Several members and attendees pointed out that the proposed effective-date language could create an interval between the board’s approval and the charter amendment’s effective date during which rezonings or changes to land-use designation might be processed under existing rules. One board member said the current draft could ‘‘enable people who want to take a piece of parkland … to amend the unified land development regulations prior to the amendment being passed and get them out from under the wire.’’
Why it matters: Parkland protections and constraints on long-term private use can prevent loss of public open space. If charter language or its effective date leaves a window for developers or others to pursue changes before protections take effect, the amendment may not preserve the protections stakeholders expect.
What happened next: The board asked staff to revisit the proposed language and return with options that avoid creating a pre-enactment window for parkland re-designations. The item was set for further review at a future meeting.
