Agenda Date: 08/13/2019
Subject:
Title
An amendment to Littleton City Code Title 10, Chapter 1 to create enabling legislation and procedures for the creation, adoption, and amendment of a comprehensive plan
Body
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Presented By: |
Mike Sutherland, AICP, Deputy Community Development Director |
PURPOSE:
Does city council wish to adopt enabling legislation and procedures for a comprehensive plan?
PRESENTATIONS:
Staff Presenter(s): Mike Sutherland, AICP, Deputy Community Development
Director
Reid Betzing, City Attorney
Additional Presenter(s): None
SUMMARY:
Currently, the Littleton City Code references the comprehensive plan but does not describe how the comprehensive plan is started, nor does it contain a process for adopting and amending the comprehensive plan. The proposed amendment would codify and establish these procedures.
PRIOR ACTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS:
Council, planning commission, staff, citizens and stakeholders have been engaged in an update to the comprehensive plan, Envision Littleton, for nearly two years.
ANALYSIS:
Staff Analysis
The proposed code language is relatively simple. The process requires at least one public hearing by the planning commission to make recommendations for adoption or amendment of the comprehensive plan to the city council. City council takes final action by resolution to adopt or amend the comprehensive plan through at least one public hearing. City council has authority to cause the creation or amendment of the comprehensive plan, in whole or in parts. In addition, the proposed code amendment allows citizens to request amendments specifically to the future character and land use map.
Currently, the Littleton City Code (LCC) has a definition of the comprehensive plan and requires development applications to be reviewed “in light of the city’s comprehensive plan…” (LCC 10-1-9). At this time, the current code adequately connects the review of development to the comprehensive plan. However, as part of a broader zoning code update in the future, staff recommends including clearer review criteria language for all development review processes, similar to the recently adopted site development plan review criteria (LCC 10-7-3).
Council Goal, Objective, and/or Guiding Principle
Adoption of the comprehensive plan is expected in October, 2019. The proposed amendment provides the code process for achieving this goal.
Fiscal Impacts
None
Alternatives
Council may choose not to amend the code. This may cause some confusion about future adoption of a comprehensive plan and amendments thereto.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends moving the item forward concurrently with the comprehensive plan, tentatively scheduled for consideration by planning commission on October 14, 2019 and consideration by city council on October 15, 2019.