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Council zeroes in on Land Management Ordinance overhaul, design review and housing policies
Summary
Council and staff agreed the Land Management Ordinance (LMO) rewrite and district master plans are top strategic priorities, with immediate fixes (removing staff waivers, subdivision/open‑space rules) already in the pipeline; several members pressed for stronger design‑review teeth and for the LMO to advance with clear sequencing tied to district plans and budget.
Town Manager Mark Orlando and planning staff told council the LMO rewrite is the town—s largest code project: the current LMO has more than two dozen prior amendments and staff has eight active LMO amendments in review. Orlando framed the rewrite as a two‑track effort: (1) immediate, risk‑reduction edits (removing staff waivers, clarifying open‑space and subdivision standards) and (2) a comprehensive code overhaul aligned to adopted district master plans and a future land‑use map.
Council members emphasized the intersection between growth management and design review. Councilwoman Becker and others argued the design review board needs clearer authority to ensure site plans and facades match neighborhood character; they noted past projects where design review recommendations lacked "teeth." Several members urged sequencing the district plans so that zoning and code changes follow locally developed master plans.
On housing, council discussed the "Finding Home" workforce housing framework and the town—s investment tools. Staff noted the town has seeded a housing fund, completed a home‑repair program and sewer connection grants, and executed a Northpointe public‑private development agreement intended to produce workforce units tied to local employment. Council asked staff to return with an affordability/dashboard approach that clarifies whether the town measures "workforce housing" by units, affordability by percent of income, or other metrics.
Next steps: staff will continue to push the highest‑risk LMO edits through planning commission, compile a prioritized list of code amendments for committee vetting, and present proposed timelines and a clear set of metrics (housing dashboard) for council adoption.
At the workshop—s close of the topic, council asked that the design review authority, mass/scale standards for multifamily and commercial buildings, and open‑space rules be treated as near‑term priorities within the broader LMO program.
