Item 16 - Comprehensive Zoning Code Update

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special plan areas exist. This approach to land use regulation can make implementation challenging for applicants and City staff, and staff is looking for ways to simplify regulation, both by using the newer specific plans and specific development plans to inform standards for the Focus Areas and to subsume built -out specific developments into existing or newly created zoning districts. In addition, the Citywide Design Guidelines apply to all types of development in the community. Given recent State legislation that requires application of objective design standards (ODS) to virtually all residential and mixed -use developments, subjective guidelines can no longer be used to review residential development applications. The MIG Team will undertake an in-depth audit of all such plans and the Citywide Design Guidelines. With regard to the plans, we will assess whether each should be retained as stand-alone plan, updated, deleted, or merged with other plans/specific developments/zoning districts. The audit will be produced in the form of an on-line matrix to allow for easy reading and tracking as to disposition of each plan area. For the Citywide Design Guidelines, we will annotate the existing document to indicate which design guidelines can be incorporated into the updated Zoning Code as ODS. Subtask 3.2: Prepare Comprehensive Chapter 41 Audit and Update Guidance Matrix Altogether, subtasks 1.2, 2.2, and 3.1 will provide guidance regarding the structure and content for the updated Zoning Code. A comprehensive audit of all Chapter 41 articles is also needed to establish guidance for the work tasks ahead. For this task, the MIG Team will complete a comprehensive audit of Chapter 41 to identify all issues to be addressed and the options for addressing them, including revisions needed to respond to recently adopted General Plan policy. This audit will draw from: ■ Our independent review of the General Plan ■ Stakeholder interviews (subtask 4.2) ■ Recent legislation and case law ■ Discussions with City staff ■ Knowledge of best practices The audit largely will be in an online matrix format, divided into these broad categories: 1. General Plan policies to be addressed via zoning regulations 2. New State laws needing to be incorporated 3. Each of the Chapter 41 articles We expect that the matrix will be an evolving document as we progress through the update process. MIG will prepare this diagnosis in a format that can be used to track revisions during the drafting process and as a source for the preparation of staff report(s) when the draft Zoning Code goes through the public review and adoption process. We will also audit the Municipal Code for other sections that cross reference or relate to Chapter 41 to identify what updates may be needed to ensure consistency. Task 3 Meetings: Meetings to discuss the audits (3 budgeted) MIG. Inc.