title
AMENDMENT TO DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESS AND STANDARDS FOR SUBDIVISION APPROVAL (B)
Ordinance No. 0-06-63; Petition 122TCH-05 PB
An ordinance of the City of Gainesville, Florida, amending the Land Development Code relating to approval of design plats and modifying the requirements and procedures for subdivision approval; amending sections 30-180 through 30-185 and sections 30-187(b), 30-189, and 30-192(b), of Division 2, Subdivisions and Street Vacation, of Article VII, Development Review Process by amending the procedure for the approval of a final plat; amending design standards and the criteria relating to a street vacation; providing directions to the codifier; providing a severability clause; providing a repealing clause; and providing an immediate effective date.
recommendation
The City Commission adopt the proposed ordinance.
explanation
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT STAFF REPORT
Recently, the Plan Board reviewed a petition that amended the development review process. In order to be consistent with those proposed changes, staff is recommending that the subdivision of land process be amended to comply with the recommended provisions. The current process requires that all design plats of more than five lots to be reviewed by the Development Review Board. The proposed amendment would have allowed staff to approve design plats of 5-19 lots, instead of the Development Review Board. The City Commission would retain final approval authority of all plats, except for minor subdivisions.
During the review of this petition, the Plan Board considered how much flexibility the developers should be allowed to change a design plat after it has been approved. The local Builder's Association has proposed that the design plat should be flexible enough to allow the layout of the subdivision to change, as long as the number of lots proposed in the design plat does not increase. The Plan Board did not recommend any changes to the flexibility of a design plat after it was approved.
The Plan Board heard the petition and voted 5-0 to recommend approval of the petition. This petition was put on hold to allow staff to develop infill policies for development in single-family neighborhoods. Staff developed language that would allow new parcels to be created that are at least 75 percent of the average width of the existing abutting lots. Smaller lots would be considered incompatible.
Public notice was published in the Gainesville Sun on August 30, 2005. The Plan Board held a public hearing September 15, 2005.
The City Commission approved Petition 122TCH-05 PB on May 22, 2006, to include the staff amendment for infill lots, remove the provision to allow staff to approve design plats of 5-19 lots, and staff was asked to continue to develop waiver language to the infill lot policy, which has been done and included in the ordinance.
CITY ATTORNEY MEMORANDUM
Should the Commission adopt the ordinance on first reading; the second and final reading will be held on Monday, April 23, 2007.