Planning staff schedules April 14 community workshop as part of Laredo 'recode' (unified development code)

Staff told the Planning and Zoning Commission on April 2 that the City of Laredo’s long-running effort to update its land development rules—the unified development code or "recode"—is in draft six and that a community workshop will be held April 14 to present the draft and collect further input.

A staff director said the project has involved extensive outreach, multiple stakeholder meetings and legal review. "We're on draft six," the director said, and encouraged commissioners and the public to attend the April 14 workshop and review materials posted on the city website.

Commissioners asked staff to request a single consolidated PDF of the full draft and for the consultant (referred to in the meeting as Able Cities) to provide a short presentation highlighting major changes so commissioners can more easily compare versions. Commissioners also raised questions about separate department fee proposals—particularly parks and building fees—and whether those fee changes had been presented to the commission before going to city council; staff said they would check the status and follow up with parks.

Staff said there will likely be one more public workshop before the document returns to Planning and Zoning for a public hearing, followed by notifications required under state law and eventual consideration by city council. The director said staff will circulate links and the consultant’s presentation in advance of upcoming meetings.