Item 16 - Comprehensive Zoning Code Update

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Subtask 4.2: Stakeholder Interviews To understand any concerns the development community, residents, businesses, and other stakeholders may have about the current Zoning Code— and to identify changes they would like considered —the MIG Team will conduct an intensive series of interviews with community stakeholders and developer interest groups. These will consist of one-on-one and group meetings with individuals and groups identified by City staff (in consultation with the CBO partners and MIG Team). The primary areas of interest will be the five Focus Areas. Persons or groups who may be interviewed include architects and developers, local builders and contractors, commercial and industrial property and business owners, realtors, neighborhood groups and homeowners' associations, and the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce. We also plan to interview Code Enforcement staff, as they are in the field every day and have a keen understanding of what works and what does not. As an option, we can also interview members of the City Council and Planning Commission. City staff will be responsible for meeting logistics and scheduling meetings. We have assumed three full days of approximately one -hour individual and group interviews, to be attended by three members of the MIG Team. Some interviews can be conducted in the early evening if needed to accommodate interviewees' schedules. Many will be conducted via video conference. Participants will be encouraged to share their specific concerns about use/development standards and permitting processes, and to provide suggestions on how to address these concerns. Following completion of the interviews, we will prepare a summary memorandum for City staff's review, identifying key takeaways from the stakeholder interviews. Subtask 4.3: Zoning Symposium for the Planning Commission and City Council — OPTIONAL TASK This is an optional task not included in the budget. We propose to conduct a half -day zoning symposium with the City Council and Planning Commission early in the work program. The purpose is two -fold: 1) to provide information about the scope of the code update and key issues that must be addressed (e.g., changes to reflect General Plan policy, new laws), and 2) to hear ideas and suggestions regarding key topics being addressed (e.g., revised administrative procedures, adaptive reuse and historic preservation). The public will be invited to attend. Symposium topics will include: ■ How zoning codes shape the appearance and function of all land uses in a community ■ How communities use zoning/subdivision regulations to achieve development goals ■ How cities look to zoning code updates to achieve their development objectives ■ Transforming the City's existing Zoning Code into a more understandable, streamlined, defensible, and effective user-friendly planning implementation tool ■ Correlating zoning code provisions with General Plan policies and standards ■ State-of-the-art zoning code structure, format/ style, and graphic design for creating easy -to -use documents ■ Zoning districts: how many, what types, when to use overlays and combining designations ■ Zoning standards: type, specification, and performance -based approaches, graphic support, and representation ■ Objective design standards, form -based and performance -based codes, and hybrid codes MIG. Inc. 8