Title
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING VARIOUS SECTIONS OF THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE
Body
Summary and Background Information:
The Land Development Code (LDC) (Ordinance #1798) was adopted by City Council in January 2009 and went into effect on March 1, 2009. This Land Development Code was a comprehensive update to the Commerce City Zoning Ordinance, which included a wide variety of topics dealing with development and land use, such as application types, zoning districts, use standards, subdivision procedures, design standards and signs. Thousands of items are included within the Land Development Code and overall, the updated code has been a tremendous help to staff and applicants when reviewing development proposals.
The Land Development Code is a “living document” that acts as a tool to guide future development of a community, protect neighborhoods, focus development, and enhance the environment. As a part of the public review process for the LDC, it was mentioned that the code would be an “on-going work in progress,” and that this document would continually evolve to reflect the needs and desires of the city. As a way to implement this ongoing evolution, changes or amendments will be implemented periodically. Currently, there are no limitations or preclusions related to the number of zoning code amendments that the city may adopt.
Since 2010, the Planning Commission and City Council have reviewed and approved a variety of updates to the Land Development Code. Some of these updates are topic specific (floodplain, marijuana, and signs) while others have been general or “housekeeping” in nature, which work to advance the goals and desires of the community.
The 12 proposed amendments for 2016 can generally be characterized into four categories. The first category focuses on legal clarifications and process updates, the second category includes land use table changes and additions, the third category focuses on standards related to improving customer service, and the fourth category includes amendments in order to ensure that the LDC stays modern.
The intent of these revisions is to make minor changes, additions, or deletions to the LDC in order to continue to meet the needs of the community. Therefore, major revisions to the LDC have not been incorporated into this round of updates and will be discussed and examined in detail at a future date.
Staff will continue to monitor issues that arise in the future and track those issues in order to make necessary changes in the future. Therefore, City Council should expect to see additional amendments in the future in order to ensure that the LDC is meeting the needs of the community.
In January 2016, staff discussed these updates with both Planning Commission and City Council at two separate study sessions. Both were generally supportive of the items brought forth. On February 2, 2016, the Planning Commission voted 5-0 to forward this ordinance to City Council with a favorable recommendation.
Staff Responsible (Department Head): Chris Cramer, Community Development Director
Staff Member Presenting: Steve Timms, Planning Manager
Financial Impact: N/A
Funding Source: N/A
Planning Commission Recommendation:
On February 2, 2016, the Planning Commission voted 5-0 to forward this ordinance to City Council with a favorable recommendation.
Suggested Motion: I move to approve Ordinance 2078