Title
Development Review Process Recommendations (B)
Explanation
Following the visit by City officials to Norfolk, Virginia, the City Commission established several committees to formulate recommendations regarding action items to implement in Gainesville. One committee was the City Government Committee, which has developed several recommendations about City government and processes. One of the City Government Committee's recommendations was to amend the development review process. The City Government Committee made its recommendations to the Economic Development/University Community Committee (EDUCC), which heard the recommendations and then discussed them twice more, on October 5, 2004 and December 8, 2004. The Community Development Committee (CDC) also expressed interest to the City Commission in reviewing the recommendations so that it could make its own recommendations to the City Commission. The CDC discussed the proposed changes several times, most recently at its January 6, 2005 meeting.
The City Government Committee recommended that staff provide more information to citizens participating in the first step process about what materials they could bring to first step in order to have the most productive first step meeting. This has been implemented. The City Government Committee also recommended that staff develop a firm cycle for minor reviews (the staff-level reviews of smaller projects), with clear cut-off dates and turnaround times, just as the City has for larger projects that go to the Development Review Board (DRB). This has also been implemented.
The City Government Committee recommended eliminating neighborhood meetings. (The Committee is proposing a different type of informal early meeting on design input for projects in some areas.) The Committee recommended creating a consent agenda process for the Development Review Board, much like the City Commission has for items unlikely to generate controversy or need discussion.
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