Agenda Date: 06/05/2018
Subject:
Title
Presentation of the final draft of the updated Downtown Design Standards and Guidelines
Body
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Presented By: |
Dennis Swain. Senior Planner |
SUMMARY:
Staff will discuss the progress and final draft of the update to the Downtown Design Standards. The intent of the study session is to answer questions and seek comments.
The current draft of the revisions, dated May 24, 2018, is attached and will be presented at the study session. Also attached are comments received on-line from OpenLittleton.org and in email and letters from individuals.
BACKGROUND:
In 2006, the historical preservation board and planning commission adopted the Littleton Downtown Design Standards and Guidelines. In the twelve years since they were adopted, the pace and type of development in Downtown Littleton has changed dramatically. As a first step in responding to these changes, city council directed staff to undertake a public process to review and update the design standards and guidelines by (1) revising the document to be more user-friendly and (2), when viable, transforming guidelines into standards.
To accomplish this project, the city hired Littleton consulting firm Bryant Flink Architects and assembled a technical advisory team. The technical team included professional representatives from the historical preservation board, planning commission, downtown businesses, and downtown property owners.
The charge to the consultant and the technical team was to make the document more user-friendly and the design standards and guidelines more enforceable. The number and extent of changes that would require a policy discussion have been minimized; instead, the focus has been on technical and editorial changes. Changes that would require a policy discussion have been identified and set aside for a possible future project. The document has been shortened by eliminating duplication, made more user-friendly by reducing technical jargon, and updated with current Littleton photos and new graphics. To increase the document’s enforceability, the consultants, technical team, and staff evaluated each guideline for its ability to be converted to a standard. Those guidelines determined suitable were converted to standards. Guidelines that could not be converted remain as guidelines.
Starting in December, 2017, the technical team met six times with staff and consultants. The draft document that resulted from those meetings was presented at a community open house on April 18 and posted on www.OpenLittleton.org <http://www.OpenLittleton.org> between April 18 and May 1. Comments from Open Littleton and letters we received from individuals are attached to this staff communication.
On April 23, the draft was reviewed and discussed at a joint study session of the historical preservation board and planning commission. The consultant incorporated the comments from the first open house, the joint study session, and planning staff into the current draft, which is attached and which was presented at a second community open house on May 24 and a May 30 study session with planning commission. Due to a tight schedule, comments from the May 24 open house, and the May 30 study session have been recorded in a separate document and will be incorporated into this draft before the public hearing.
On June 18, the historical preservation board will hold a public hearing to consider a recommendation to planning commission, which city code authorizes as the body that adopts design standards and guidelines. On July 9, planning commission will hold a public hearing to consider adopting the design standards, and on July 17, city council will consider ratifying the document.