Agenda Date: 09/07/2021
Subject:
Title
Ordinance 16-2021: An ordinance on second reading amending the Littleton City Code Title 10, Chapter 12, Amendment Procedure regarding city-initiated comprehensive rezoning process
Body
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Presented By: |
Reid Betzing, City Attorney |
PURPOSE:
Amendments to the City of Littleton zoning regulations must be heard by the planning commission and a recommendation forwarded to the city council for a final decision. Council requested an amendment to the Littleton City Code regarding city-initiated comprehensive rezoning processes prior to consideration of the Unified Land Use Code (ULUC).
PRESENTATIONS:
Staff Presenter(s): Reid Betzing, City Attorney
Jennifer Q. Henninger, Community Development Director
Additional Presenter(s): N/A
SUMMARY:
Currently, regulations and procedures for rezoning are designed for small-scale requests from individual property owners. Mailed notification is required to all property owners within 700 feet of the affected property. The current code did not anticipate, nor does it contain special processes for large-scale rezoning initiated by the city government, as many other municipalities do. The ULUC will rename and in some cases rezone many parcels of land in the City of Littleton.
PRIOR ACTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS:
City council had a study session on June 15, 2021 regarding city initiated rezonings and direction was given to staff to proceed with creating a new process of comprehensive rezonings. On July 26, 2021, the planning commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of an amendment to the City’s zoning regulations regarding a city-initiated comprehensive rezoning process. (see PC Resolution 03-2021).
This ordinance passed on first reading on August 17, 2021.
ANALYSIS:
Staff Analysis
Many other municipalities in the metropolitan area and across the nation have provisions for city-initiated rezonings that are different from the requirements for individual property owners. In rare instances of comprehensive rezoning, these provisions help facilitate the legislative authority of the city council.
When City Council decided to rezone the Downtown area to reflect the new DT Zoning district it required over 2,000 notifications being mailed and multiple locations in the downtown area to be physically posted. As the ULUC’s proposed zoning districts consolidate existing districts and rename them, the current rezoning process would result in tens of thousands of mailings and an unmanageable number of postings which would be inefficient and impractical. Adding a new process for city-initiated rezonings would be the most practical and efficient method.
Council Goal, Objective, and/or Guiding Principle
Council Goal 1 - Unified Land Use Code
Fiscal Impacts
N/A
Alternatives
If an amendment is not adopted, mailed notification may need to be sent to all Littleton property owners and property owners within 700 feet of the municipal limits which would amount to over 10,000 mailings.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of proposed Ordinance 16-2021.
PROPOSED MOTION:
Proposed Motion
I move to approve Ordinance 16-2021 on second reading amending the Littleton City Code Title 10, Chapter 12, Amendment Procedure regarding city-initiated comprehensive rezoning process.