Planning department touts streamlined zoning code; staff proposes faster decision path for special uses

City planning staff outlined the draft Unified Development Code (UDC) update known as Memphis 3.0 to a council committee on April 14, describing major simplifications to the use matrix and permitting procedures.

Brett Ragdell and colleagues said the draft code reduces ambiguous “maybe” entries — where a use requires discretionary review — so that projects encounter fewer case-by-case approvals that slow development and impose costs on small or nontraditional developers. Staff said the draft cut the code's word count by roughly 45% and reduced the portion of use-matrix entries that are conditional; the result, they argued, will be greater predictability for neighborhoods and for applicants.

A key procedural change would shift many special-use permit decisions from final determination by the elected body to initial decisions by the Land Use Control Board (LUCB) with the elected body retaining an appeal path. Staff noted that between 2021 and 2025 elected bodies largely followed LUCB recommendations (about 92% of cases) but there is an average 55-day lag between LUCB recommendation and elected-body action; the proposed change is intended to cut that delay for routine cases while preserving an appeal route for controversial matters.

Council members raised concerns about public engagement and whether affected neighborhoods will get adequate notice; some council members asked staff to expand outreach and to ensure the LUCB is aligned with council and community expectations. Staff said they are continuing neighborhood meetings and will publish a final map and text in May before LUCB consideration.

What’s next: The draft map and text will be refined with additional neighborhood input and brought to the Land Use Control Board for a recommendation; if LUCB approves, the ordinance will proceed through the council’s multi-reading ordinance process.