Title
2018 Land Development Code Amendments (B)
Petition PB-18-101 TCH. City of Gainesville. Amend various sections of the Land Development Code to revise regulations concerning: accessory dwelling units, subdivisions, outdoor and sidewalk cafes, outdoor recreational uses, tree preservation and mitigation, density bonuses, transect zone form standards, and Urban 4 (U-4) zoning. Related to PB-18-100 CPA.
Explanation
This petition comprises an array of amendments to the Land Development Code (LDC) that are proposed as part of the 2018 amendment process. The LDC was comprehensively re-written in 2017 for the first time in 26 years. During the final adoption hearing, the City Commission directed the Department of Doing to prepare an annual update of code amendments which combine regulatory changes proposed by the City Commission, city staff, and privately-initiated applications. Exhibit A-1 of the staff report includes the 2018 list of code topics and the proposed hearing schedule.
The 2018 topic list also includes proposed code amendments identified by the Tree Ordinance Stakeholder Committee, a group of stakeholders convened by the City Commission in December 2016. The Commission directed staff to include recommendations from the Committee presented on July 27th, 2017 to this year’s code update. A meeting schedule and list of attendees can be found in Exhibit B-1 of this staff report.
The code update also includes revisions to the City’s subdivision regulations which were not revised with the 2017 code re-write. These revisions were initiated in response to City Commission and staff concerns expressed during the December 19th, 2017 and January 4th, 2018 City Commission hearings that the City’s current subdivision process is cumbersome and does not adequately support the City’s goals of infill, connectivity, and urban design expressed in the Comprehensive Plan and the City’s new transect zoning. The subdivision amendments also reflect the Commission’s direction to expand opportunities for affordable housing incentives, innovative neighborhood design, and housing stock diversity.
Outreach
The 2018 code amendment process included extensive outreach to both board and stakeholder groups to gather input, ask questions, and refine the code changes. Table 1 of the staff report contains a list of meetings related to the update process this year. This table does not include the numerous internal staff meetings or individual stakeholder discussions that occurred over the course of the year in support of the proposed revisions. There were 40 meetings held between the first of the year and the Plan Board public hearing on July 26. Three additional meetings including the proposed City Commission meeting on August 16 are scheduled subsequent to the Plan Board meeting.
Fiscal Note
None.
Recommendation
City Plan Board to City Commission - Approve Petition PB-18-101 TCH with the following amendments.
• Approve all Downtown Arts and Culture amendments (Remove event limitations, add outdoor recreation to downtown, amend sidewalk café ordinance). Plan Board vote 6-0.
• Approve the Tree Ordinance components (density bonuses, mitigation offset, exemptions for laurel and water oaks) including the recommendation from the Tree Advisory Board, to add the urban forest ecological assessment and management plan to the list of permitted tree mitigation fund expenditures but otherwise retain the existing tree mitigation fund language. Direct staff to consider adding additional setback flexibility regarding the Building Frontage provision in the interest of tree preservation prior to final adoption. Plan Board vote 6-0.
• Approve the Housing and Infill amendments as follows:
1. Accessory dwelling units: Amend staff’s recommendation limiting new accessory dwelling unit maximum height to 1.5 stories to 2 stories and prohibit new detached accessory dwelling units from exceeding the height of the primary residential unit.
2. Approve the definition and design amendments for the various housing types.
3. Approve the GNV RISE subdivision amendments but remove the enhanced architectural standards and the infill compatibility standards from the GNV RISE public benefit criteria, with the understanding that they will be further developed and brought back to the Plan Board for review.
Plan Board vote 3-2.
• Approve all Clarity and Consistency amendments (Urban 4 zoning, podium buildings clarification, remove 1.5’ finished floor requirement, add health services to urban zones). Plan Board vote 5-0.
• Deny privately initiated proposed text amendments. Plan Board vote 5-0.
Staff to City Commission - Approve Petition PB-18-101 TCH.
Staff to City Plan Board - Staff recommends approval of Petition PB-18-101 TCH.