Planning staff outlines six‑month plan to update Title IV and V, adds family‑land option

Planning Administrator Joshua Chase told the Planning and Zoning Commission at a special work session that staff has compiled a procedures table to organize revisions to Title IV and Chapter 5 and tentatively scheduled reviews across a six‑month timeline. "I don't anticipate a lengthy meeting tonight, but we did need to start organizing this process of the code update," Chase said, explaining the table lists application processes and proposed review dates.

Chase said the Board of County Commissioners gave few specific recommendations at the prior joint meeting but asked staff to consider a family land‑division option; staff added the option to the table and assigned tentative dates. He also said chapter 5 items — including natural‑resource protections and lighting standards — are within scope for review. "Everything in Chapter 5 is on the table for discussion in this update," he said.

Commissioners emphasized the importance of work sessions to meet the proposed calendar and offered to prioritize topics that create the greatest operational burden. Staff proposed avoiding work meetings in November and December and tentatively scheduled sessions beginning in September and continuing through March to allow enough time for legal review and potential public hearings.

Chase recommended an approach that balances a bundled ordinance (a single comprehensive update) against the risk of multiple, rapid code versions that could confuse applicants. Commissioners and staff agreed to maintain a contingency plan to move forward with high‑priority, discrete fixes if the omnibus approach proved unworkable.

Next steps: staff will confirm specific meeting dates with the county manager, circulate the procedures table and proposed review dates to commissioners, and develop draft language for initial sections to present at the next work session.