Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Code Update topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Consultant outlines Royal Oak City zoning overhaul, GIS portal and one- to 1½-year adoption timeline
Summary
A consultant presented a GIS-enabled public engagement portal and a phased timetable for Royal Oak City's zoning code update, saying calibration will take about five months and adoption could take roughly one to one-and-a-half years; the portal and draft engagement materials are expected within one to two months.
A consultant presented the scope and schedule for a zoning-code rewrite at a Royal Oak City meeting, saying a new GIS-enabled public engagement portal will let residents view proposed zoning changes at the parcel level and provide tools for focused outreach.
The consultant said the project is moving from a diagnostic phase into calibration and then codification. "We generally have the portal built out so that will be ready to share with you," the consultant said, adding the portal will allow residents to "look up the changes that are proposed for their property specifically." The consultant said examples from past projects can be provided and that "it's almost done."
Commissioners pressed for timing and details. Commissioner Mr. Gantina asked how the work would be broken into modules; the consultant said the calibration (engagement and solution development) will be roughly five months, followed by roughly six months to write code and proceed through the adoption process, estimating the overall timeline as "about a year to a year and a half out from an adopted code." Staff and the consultant said the portal and a draft engagement plan and survey should be ready to share in about one to two months for commissioner review.
The consultant described the portal as GIS-enabled and integrated with county spatial data to provide a place-based way to view proposed zoning changes. "It's kind of combining that with the work that we're doing to revise the zoning code and it makes it visual," the consultant said. The portal will include toggles to compare existing zoning with proposed changes and will support focus groups, public surveys and draft ordinance review.
On substance, the consultant cautioned that many changes are text-based rather than map-based and said the team would seek a balance between policy goals (for example, ground-floor activation) and market realities. On ground-floor commercial uses, the consultant said mandatory first-floor commercial can be challenging and recommended flexibility in the types of allowable uses to increase viability for businesses.
Next steps outlined for commissioners included: staff coordination on when consultants return with the portal and engagement materials (anticipated in the short term), rolling out the calibration/engagement work over several months, and proceeding to codification and adoption thereafter. Staff said there are no agenda items for July and that they would work with the consultant's team to present the portal and communications refinements when prepared.
The commission adjourned after the presentation; a motion to adjourn was moved, seconded and approved by verbal assent.
