Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Permit Timing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Panel debates stricter deadlines for final development orders to curb entitlement hoarding
Summary
At a May 20 meeting, members discussed shortening the effective activity window for final development orders and defining what counts as "progress" after developers receive entitlements, with a proposal to treat six months of inactivity as grounds to revert approvals.
Members at the May 20 development-regulations review meeting pressed for clearer deadlines on final development orders (FDOs) and for specific rules that would limit how long developers can hold entitlements without building. Jeff Grayson argued the town loses tax revenue when developers sit on entitled land, saying, "It should revert back to the original zoning" if owners do not begin construction after the permit period. The committee agreed the current language allowing repeated six-month renewals effectively lets projects sit idle indefinitely.
Several members proposed a concrete inactivity trigger. Ken Warden summarized a favored approach: "If there's no activity in 6 months, you go back to 0," meaning an FDO or permit would lapse absent paperwork or engineering filings. The group debated what counts as "activity" — a single spec home built, submitted engineering plans, recorded plats, or repeated inspections — and asked staff to draft precise language that distinguishes single-home construction from broader subdivision progress. The committee set June 24 as the next meeting to review redrafted sections and examples.
