Staff to kick off UDC redlining process; commission to see outputs

Development Services staff told the City Planning Commission that the department will begin a working-group process to update the Unified Development Code and share draft materials with the planning commission.

Andrew Demas told commissioners staff will kick off a DS tag working meeting next week (likely Wednesday at 2 p.m.) to break down sections of the UDC and redline the code line by line. "It is going to be very much a working meeting," Demas said, and he added that any information produced by that working group will be shared with the planning commission.

Demas said staff will start by keeping the current UDC as the base and selectively take "the best parts" of a consultant'provided model rather than wholesale adoption. He cited examples where consultant design guidelines—such as extensive fenestration requirements—would not fit the city's coastal context and said staff will focus on short-term changes that can be accomplished quickly, such as landscaping, water-use rules, and sign regulations.

Commissioners discussed whether district designations from the consultant model would be adopted; Demas said the topic will be "a big discussion" and that staff will evaluate how to incorporate useful consultant elements into the existing code. Staff will check commissioners' calendars and send invitations for the DS tag kickoff and the workshop requested on plat types.

Next steps: staff will produce flowcharts and explanatory documents, schedule a workshop on plat types, and convene the DS tag working meeting to begin drafting UDC changes.