Agenda - 04-21-2009 - 5a - Laserfiche WebLink

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Attachment 3 O Basis for Staff's Recommendations The following narrative is intended to provide some of the rationale behind staffs recommendations and the issues staff is attempting to address, and avoid, through the proposed amendments. Clarity vs. Confusion: Currently, the processes for Comprehensive Plan amendments are vague, leaving the processes open for interpretation. The proposed amendments to Article 2 of the Zoning Ordinance will provide clear and concise instructions for the application for and processing of Comprehensive Plan amendments, not currently included in the ordinance. As proposed, the simultaneous processing of Comprehensive Plan (text & map) and Zoning Ordinance (text & map) amendments of the same property, if in compliance with approved small area plans, will prove less confusing to those property owners and citizens affected by the proposed changes because they will not receive multiple notices about actions that appear, to a layperson, to be very similar. Additionally, it should be easier for a property owner to understand the final outcome of all amendments if they are presented together rather than as a "Land Use" action (that is essentially non - regulatory) with an undefined "Zoning" action (the regulatory mechanism) to occur at a future, undetermined date. Time: With the significant public involvement associated with the adoption of small area plans, the citizens involved often have invested considerable time and effort into the plans' development and are familiar with its contents. The Comprehensive Plan (text & map) and Zoning Ordinance (text & map) amendments necessary to aid in implementation of the plans, if processed separately, can add an additional 1 to 2 years to the process. For example — If a small area plan is adopted in June 2009, the associated Comprehensive Plan (text & map) amendments could not be presented at public hearing until February 2010, at the earliest, since it would be considered a 'Principal' amendment, with possible adoption by June 2010. This phase would occur too late to budget the zoning amendment costs in the 2010 -11 fiscal year. The funding would need to be scheduled for the following 2011 -12 fiscal year. Therefore, scheduling and legal advertising requirements for rezonings would delay the Zoning Ordinance (text & map) amendments until November 2011, at the earliest.