Council advances unified development code work, asks for transparent scope and subcommittee oversight

Council and staff began a protracted discussion of the code diagnostic report and next steps toward a Unified Development Code (UDC), agreeing on a staff-driven, chapter-by-chapter approach with public transparency, red-line changelogs, and a small ad hoc subcommittee to define the work plan.

Paul Roberts’ earlier emailed comment — read into the record — urged three guardrails: a short written charter to lock scope to conformance and coherence, a two-track approach separating policy-neutral cleanup from policy options, and a requirement that proposed red-lines be posted so the public can see what has changed. The council and staff repeatedly echoed those themes and asked that any changes that materially change land use or entitlements be treated as policy and brought back for explicit council direction.

Council members recommended a nimble subcommittee that includes chairs and members from Planning & Zoning and Building Standards, the two council liaisons, and relevant staff; legal counsel advised ratifying any ad hoc committee at a subsequent meeting to avoid quorum issues. Staff said the process will be chapter-by-chapter with public notice, discussion-board materials, and targeted mail-outs when adoption creates nonconformities.

Next steps: staff will assemble draft charter language, propose subcommittee membership for ratification at the next meeting, and begin chapter work while posting interim materials to the discussion board for public review.