Agenda Date: 10/01/2019
Subject:
Title
Ordinance 22-2019: Second introduction of an ordinance amending the Littleton City Code Title 10, Chapter 1 to establish 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, Deputy Community Development Director
Additional Presenter(s): N/A
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. On August 13, 2019, Council and Planning Commission held a joint study session for the proposed enabling legislation code amendment.
The ordinance passed on first reading at a regular meeting of city council on September 17, 2019.
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 establish or request the creation or amendment of the comprehensive plan, in whole or in parts. As a precautionary measure, the proposed code amendment allows property owners to request amendments to the future character and land use map specifically for their own property.
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).
To gather public opinion, staff posted the proposed code amendment online and sent surveys to Littleton Plans subscribers. The results of the outreach are attached.
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.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
On September 9, 2019, Planning Commission recommended approval of the proposed code amendment following a public hearing with a condition that subsection (D) include the phrase “with consent of the property owner or owners.” The proposed ordinance has been revised to address the Planning Commission’s condition.
Staff recommends approval of Ordinance 22-2019 on first reading at the September 17, 2019 meeting and final approval at the second reading and public hearing on October 1, 2019.
PROPOSED MOTION:
Proposed Motion
I move to approve the ordinance on second reading amending the Littleton City Code Title 10, Chapter 1 establishing enabling legislation for the creation, adoption, and amendment of a comprehensive plan.