SUBJECT: General Business
Title
Unified Development Code (UDC) Update Report
Body
DEPARTMENT: Planning and Development
PRESENTER: Fred Starr, Planning and Development Director
TIME ESTIMATE:
only required for non-consent items
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff has prepared a PowerPoint presentation that identifies a summary of the discussion items that have been identified to date by various stakeholder groups. This information can be used to give direction on items that Trustees are either willing to pursue as part of a UDC update, or wish not to consider as part of the update. For example, window well encroachments.
Some Trustees have provided feedback regarding item items or topics they would like to see considered as part of the UDC update. Staff would like to understand if these suggestions or others are to be incorporated as part of the Unified Development Code (UDC) and will seek input from the Board of Trustees.
End
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
Since our last update to the Board in August, staff have been meeting with individual developers as well as holding monthly meetings with the Denver Home Builders Association (HBA) working group, to discuss and identify suggested changes to the UDC.
To address the comments we have received regarding the amount of time it takes review and process land development applications we have developed and Implemented a Land Development Review Schedule. The purpose of this schedule is to provide both the applicant and staff with dates for milestones which are to be met in review and responding to each land-use submittal and resubmittal.
By having such a schedule, both the applicant and staff have a clear understanding of when review comments are due from outside review entities as well as internal staff. It provides the applicant and their development team to have a one-on-one meeting with our internal staff to go over and review each set of review comments in-person, rather than through a series of e-mail exchanges. I used feedback from various applicants of the benefit of these face-to-face Development Review Team meetings. Each applicant expressed their appreciation for having this face to face opportunity to discuss issues raised during the review period. This is not a Required meeting, but is offered as an opportunity to the applicant.
We have had several meetings with the Home Builders Association (HBA) working group since our last update. They are reviewing the UDC chapter by chapter and providing the Town with their comments and suggestions. At this point, they have provided general feedback up to Chapter 6 of the UDC that they would like to have considered as part of the UDC update. They understand that these suggestions are from their perspective and are meant as an opportunity for dialogue about amendments to the UDC. We have additional meetings with the HBA to review their recommendation for additional chapters of the UDC. Their correspondence is summarized in the PowerPoint presentation as well as in the attached.
As part of our effort to improve our application review and approval process, we have undertaken an interdepartmental review of our “current” process. The departments involved included the Planning Department, Engineering Department, Building Department and Public Works department. As a result of this we have developed a process evaluation flow-diagram that we will use to identify opportunities for improvements and clarifications in our processes. In addition, will identify any UDC sections that may need to be amended to better support an improved development review process. This information will be used to further implement our existing EnerGov software program that tracks projects between multiple departments.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
In addition to the information identified in the presentation, we ask that the trustees identify their top 3 - 5 items or issues that they feel are important for the staff incorporate as part of the UDC update process. If you have seen proposals that you think represent good ideas from a particular development application that you would like to see incorporated into the code so we “get more things like that” we would like to know and conversely if you have seen proposals that “meet the current standards” but wish the code would have not permitted. We would like to be aware of those items as well so we can determine how best to move forward.
Our goals for the UDC Update are to:
• Improve the process
• Create design and development guidelines that support the community vision and values
• Give developers Options.
Next Steps:
Based on comments during the Study Session, we will continue to meet with stakeholders, conduct our citizen Open-house and collect comments thru the end of this year and then begin the drafting of proposed code amendment language. Because we have the benefit of DPZ and their work on the Nine-mile Study Area, we will look for recommendations they make for opportunities to incorporate their recommendations through-out the code.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. PowerPoint Presentation
2. HBA Comments to date