Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Chairman Johnson outlines timeline to consolidate Orange County zoning ordinance and five new districts
Summary
Chairman Johnson told the Planning Commission that staff and the Berkeley Group are consolidating the current ordinance and proposed five new districts into a single draft, with work sessions and public hearings to follow; the board will refine the districts before sending a consolidated document to the commission for review.
Chairman Johnson told the Orange County Planning Commission the board and the Berkeley Group are working to consolidate the existing zoning ordinance and five proposed new districts into a single, reviewable document.
“I don't really have a a big speech to give,” Johnson said, describing the effort as a process of transferring content from the old ordinance into the Berkeley Group’s new format and then iterating until the board is comfortable with the result. He said the intent is to show, in the consolidated document, which suggestions come from the Berkeley Group, staff, the planning commission and the board so reviewers can tell what is new and what is carried forward.
Johnson said the board planned to address the rural service and technology districts first because they appear simpler, then take the remaining districts in an unspecified order. He estimated parts of the work could be available to the commission before the end of the year, with further board review possibly stretching into late spring or early summer of the next year.
Commissioners asked whether the Berkeley Group would provide visible markings—redlines or color coding—to indicate which language is transferred and which is newly proposed. Johnson said his intention is for the consolidated draft to make the source of suggested edits clear so commissioners and the public can follow what was added, revised or retained.
The commission does not expect a single finished product handed down for approval; rather, Johnson and staff said the consolidated document will be iterative, followed by commission work sessions and public hearings before any board action. The board will then forward the ordinance and its recommended changes to the board of supervisors for final consideration.
The commission thanked Johnson for the update and had no additional preliminary requests beyond seeing the consolidated document when it is ready. Next steps will include internal review by staff and the Berkeley Group, planning commission work sessions, public hearings and eventual board consideration.
