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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-15-16 CC Mtg - SP1. UDC Update Commission Memorandum REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commission FROM: Tom Rogers, Senior Planner Rebecca Owens, Associate Planner Chris Saunders, Interim Director of Community Development SUBJECT Special presentation on the Update to the Bozeman Design Objectives Plan (DOP) and coordination with the update to the Unified Development Code (UDC). MEETING DATE: August 15, 2016 AGENDA ITEM TYPE: Special Presentation RECOMMENDATION: Not applicable BACKGROUND: The City of Bozeman has four planning and two regulatory revision processes underway. The Department of Community Development is using the input from all of these efforts to improve and enhance the update of the Unified Development Code and Design Objectives Plan. Comments from public input show that the community seeks: • Consistency (with other policies/standards/plans), • Clarity, • Compatibility/appropriateness (with transition areas), • User-friendliness, • Flexibility, and • Predictability These goals are advanced by the improved integration of the design standards adopted through the Design Objectives Plan with the existing site development review criteria of the Unified Development Code. There is a substantial overlap of issues and priorities between the two documents. Revisions of the two documents are proposed to share a common topic structure to make it easier to find relevant information. Standards presently in the Design Objectives Plan can move to the Unified Development Code to aggregate material and application and provide greater clarity in how a criterion may be satisfied. For example, the long standing plan review criterion four of section 38.19.100.A requires evaluation of the “Relationship of plan elements to conditions both on and off the property…” with several subsections. The Design Objectives Plan addresses the same subject in several sections in Chapters 2 and 3. It will be more clear and consistent to have all of these items addressed in a single location, will be more user friendly to not have to address multiple documents, and clarity will be improved as the language of both documents is evaluated, coordinated and brought into a single location. The merger of standards will allow the Design Objectives Plan to evolve from a minimum standard to a best practices reference and source to demonstrate how superior outcomes are achieved to justify deviations in areas where design review (other than historic preservation) applies. 174 Design Objectives Update Summary and Status The City of Bozeman (City) is revising the design requirements, known as the “Design Objectives Plan for Entryway Corridors.” The professional services firm Community Design Group (CDG) has been hired by the City to assist Community Development Department staff and the Design Review Board in this effort. The Design Objectives Plan was originally adopted in 1992 and last revised in 2005. Adoption of the revised standards, by resolution of the City Commission, is anticipated for November or December 2016. As introduced in the current plan, these corridors serve as key entry routes into the core of the city and set expectations for the quality of development downtown. For these reasons, the city seeks to assure that development in the commercial corridors will result in dynamic, attractive neighborhoods and also will reflect the overall goals for high-quality design throughout the community. The design standards are currently applied to new construction as well as commercial renovation applications based on the development’s location within entryway corridors. The instrument of review is the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA), either as a standalone application or as a review part and parcel to larger applications, such as site plans. The standards bring an additional layer of detail to commercial site plan reviews, above and beyond the minimum requirements of the Unified Development Code (UDC). The concept of “superior design” and associated criteria is what enables some developments to apply for and be approved for deviations from standards when necessary. In summary, the criteria are referenced when considerations of alternatives or departures from the primary code compliance path are required. The current design standards organize review of projects by chapter, according to the following hierarchy: neighborhood, site, building, signage, and applicable entryway corridor characterization. The revised criteria will strive to align even higher level community connectivity and transition area considerations, such as between residential neighborhoods and commercial center zoning/uses. Ensuring the function, aesthetics, and preservation of Bozeman’s core character, as represented by development along these corridors, serves to maintain the values of and interest in our community for current and future residents—and visitors—alike. The requirement to meet the design standards is integrated with development code via Chapter 38, Article 17 – Bozeman Entryway Corridor Overlay District, Bozeman Municipal Code (BMC). The supervising City authority is the Design Review Board (DRB), per Chapter 2, Article 5, Division 18, BMC. While functional as standalone documents, there is thus a clear relationship between the UDC and design standards that compels close coordination of the two documents’ update processes. A variety of public engagement outreach and coordination is within the scope of the design standards update. In addition to scheduling a meeting with the DRB, the project team has held discussions with the UDC update advisory committee and several City of Bozeman elected officials. They also prepared displays and feedback forms to share a table with the City’s Strategic Plan update team during the Sweet Pea Festival. A project website has been launched and is accessible directly from the existing UDC update website. The project team will endeavor throughout August and fall 2016 to complete project development evaluations, stakeholder meetings, pop-up tables, visual preference surveys, and ongoing collaboration with other community plan/code update processes. The refreshed formatting and final draft of the revised design standards will also be reviewed by the Planning/Zoning boards and City Commission. UDC Update Summary The City is revising the development code. The purpose of this project is to review and update as needed the Unified Development Code (UDC) for the City of Bozeman in two related steps. With the adoption of the City’s Community Plan in 2009, the existence of numerous adopted 175 neighborhood and special area plans, and rapid growth (infill and edge), the City recognizes the need to update its land development regulations and standards. The update will be completed in a two-step process. Step one focused on the North Seventh Avenue corridor (“Midtown”) and urban renewal/tax increment district (TIF) and creating a new more user friendly organization and presentation of the development code that will carry through the entire chapter 38. This step entailed preparing text/graphic zoning concepts for Midtown that focuses on mixed-use infill that fulfills the goals of the urban renewal district. The intent was also to create a design handbook, image catalog, or visual representation of what the Midtown code provisions will do and will allow, or not allow. Step one is complete. Step two is to continue the evaluation of the Unified Development Code, Chapter 38, BMC, make recommendations on the organization, presentation and create revised code for adoption. Staff and others have identified 15 broad issues and more than 100 specific code revisions this update intends to address. In addition, the Community Development Department will integrate current code updates in process including cash-in-lieu of parkland, subdivision review process, Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD) demolition, and others into the overall code update. Step two is underway with numerous amendments being considered with the remaining components being drafted according to the UDC code update review adoption schedule. These drafts began their public process with initial discussion with the UDC advisory committee on August 9th. The target timeline for completion remains spring of 2017. Coordination The updates to the DOP and UDC are intricately connected. A coordinated schedule has been developed to ensure complete integration and public engagement. UNRESOLVED ISSUES: None. ALTERNATIVES: As determined by the City Commission FISCAL EFFECTS: Both of these projects were budgeted for by the City Commission. The project contracts are within the budgeted amounts. Report compiled on August 5, 2015 Attachments: Design Standards Update & UDC Update timeline 176 177 Bozeman UDC Code Update Review & Adoption Schedule Components Ref # % Compt. Lead 2nd Ord # Notice dates Other Advisors Advisory Committee Zoning Commission Planning Board CC Effective Date Midtown ZCA 100% TR CS 1942 June 8 Midtown ZMA 100% TR CS 1943 June 8 Entryway Corridor 100% TR CS 1946 June 8 Plan Process 100% TR CS 1944 June 8 WRB 98% TR CS 1945 June 8 Cottage Housing 100% CS 1952 May 9 June 21 June 27 Aug 10 Reorganization 85% Makers TR June 14 Aug 2 Aug June 27 & Aug 15 Parks-Ordinance 2A 90% CS CP Aug 9 Sept 6 Sept 6 Sept 26 Demolition of Historic Structures 2C 85% CS ?? Aug 9 Sept 20 Sept 6 Oct 10 Floodplain Regulation Mods & Amendments 2E ? BH TR Subdivision Process Changes 2F 95% CS Legal Sept 13 Oct 4 Oct 4 Oct 24 Definition modifications 2G BB TR Sept 13 Oct 4 Oct 4 Oct 24 Cash-in-lieu of Infrastructure 2B 90% MW CS 1915 Sept 13 Oct 4 Oct 4 Oct 24 Water (irrigation, consumption, management, etc.) 2D 80% RO BK Sept 13 Oct 18 Oct 18 Nov 7 Residential Open Space requirements 2H 10% BK MW Sept 13 Oct 18 Oct 18 Nov 7 Covenants / Condos 2I 50% MR CS Sept 13 Oct 18 Oct 18 Nov 7 Infill Provisions 2J MR MW Dec 13 Jan 3 Jan 3 Jan 23 Arterial setbacks and Entryway application 2K 25% MR RO Dec 13 Jan 3 Jan 3 Jan 23 DOP & NCOD integration 2L 3% Multiple Feb 14 March 7 March 7 March 20 178 Bozeman UDC Code Update Review & Adoption Schedule Components Ref # % Compt. Lead 2nd Ord # Notice dates Other Advisors Advisory Committee Zoning Commission Planning Board CC Effective Date Map Amendments (if necessary) 2M 0 TR Revised uses in districts and creation of SUP 2N 25% CS BK Jan 10 Feb 7 Feb 7 Feb 27 Transit language improvement 2O Final Adoption TR Feb 14 Mar 7 Mar 7 Mar 27 Apr 10 Notes: * Excluding noticing, public meetings, and adoption. Legend: BB Bob Bengford, Makers Architecture BK Brian Krueger CP Carolyn Poissant CS Chris Saunders MR Mayana Rice MW Mitch WerBell RO Rebecca Owens TR Tom Rogers 179