SUBJECT: General Business
Unified Development Code (UDC) Update Report
DEPARTMENT: Planning and Development
PRESENTER: Fred Starr, Director
TIME ESTIMATE: 20 Minutes
FISCAL INFORMATION: N/A
Cost as Recommended:
Balance Available:
Budget Line Item Number:
New Appropriation Required:
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff will present information on activities to date regarding updating the Unified Development Code (UDC) and will seek input from the Board of Trustees.
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
Since our last update to the Board in March, staff have been meeting with individual developers as well as holding monthly meetings with the Denver Home Builders Association working group, to discuss and identify suggested changes to the UDC.
In addition, we have taken following steps to improve our existing process for land-use applications while still meeting all existing code provisions:
• Made changes in our operating procedures to address concerns about review times for land-use applications. Because the existing code does not have well defined review timelines for certain types or stages of land-use applications, we have implemented a standard review schedule format which gives both the applicants and staff a structure by which we review applications, without the need to amend the UDC to accomplish this goal.
• We are encouraging applicants to meet with both planning and engineering staff in a pre-application format to identify significant issues and possible solutions prior to a formal submittal. These face-to-face meetings seem to result in more complete submittals, fewer and faster reviews, and shortened total processing time.
• The planning, engineering, field engineering inspectors, building department and public works staff are working together to develop a “Process Map” which will critically evaluate how these departments work together in processing land-use applications. This will help identify missing opportunities to improve or process as well as identify any code related requirements we might change to help improve our process.
• Staff are preparing redline updates to specific chapters of the UDC which address the issues identified by the development community, the HBA working group, staff and the Board of Trustees for future review and consideration.
These activities are building stronger communications between the staff team members and the development community as we work together to identify opportunities to improve our processes and procedures in advance of the code update process.
The Board’s approval of the DPZ CoDesign contract to study the Four Corners area and create a “Master Development Plan and Guidelines” will also enable us to incorporate recommendations from that effort into the code updates.
Staff is also working with outside legal counsel to update UDC Chapters outside the “core” planning and building related sections. Those separate Chapters include:
• Chapter 10.3.2.B.2 Institutional and Public Uses - Telecommunications Facilities. Staff is working with Kissinger & Fellman, P.C. to rewrite this section to bring it into compliance with new FCC regulations for Wireless and Small Cell services.
• Chapter 12, Oil and Gas regulations. Staff is working with Sullivan Green Seavy to updated this section under the new local government authority granted under SB-181. On August 13, staff presented to the Board the proposed amendments to this section of the UDC, and will be hearing Board comments on that section tonight (August 20).
We will also need to consider amendments to Chapter 10.6.12, the Sign Code provisions of the UDC. Like the Telecommunications and the Oil and Gas sections of the UDC, this section is beyond the scope of a general update of the UDC, and staff will need to work with legal counsel on that update at a later date.
SUMMARY OF COMMENTS TO DATE
As part of our initial meeting with the Home Builders Association, on May 28 the HBA provided staff with a list of items for discussion. Planning and Community Development Director Fred Starr prepared a general response to these questions. The HBA’s list is attached to this item with Director Starr’s preliminary responses as noted in red in that list.
We have received additional questions and recommendations from the development community, staff and elected officials which are summarized in an additional attachment.
During the Study Session, Planning staff will summarize and clarify the General Topics they have identified.
Next Steps:
Based on Board comments during the Study Session, staff will present these findings and recommendations to the Planning Commission at the Commission’s next meeting for the Commission’s review and comment. Staff will then continue to prepare draft redline updates to these specific code sections for distribution, review and comment by all interested parties before drafting a final proposed ordinance for the Board’s consideration.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Staff Identified Needed UDC Updates
2. HBA Comments and Director Starr’s preliminary response