December 19, 2006 CCP - Laserfiche WebLink

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Communicating re -zoning to property owners and citizens. The request for an extension from the Metropolitan Council for the submission of its zoning code gives the city an opportunity to re -visit how it wants to proceed with this critical land use document. From a communication standpoint two things are desirable in the re -zoning process: 1) that property owners' be invited to learn about the proposed zoning code changes in a manner that allows clear information and questions, and 2) that, if at all possible, the zoning code approved by the planning commission and recommended to the city council reflect the policy direction that the city council wants to see in the document going before the public hearings so that the document recommended by the planning commission does not undergo substantial policy revisions if at all possible. This is not a legal issue, but a communication issue. To accomplish the first objective, providing information to property owners, the staff suggests a process that provides for public information meetings/hearings by the planning commission to be held on individual zones (one or a few at time). Information handouts accompanied by maps that are easily understandable can be distributed to those attending the meeting and also be provided to those who cannot attend. The format for these meetings might include some informal question/ answer and information gathering time prior to the start of the formal public hearing. To accomplish the second objective, asking the planning commission to incorporate city council policy direction into the draft zoning code, is more complex and may not be viewed as desirable by all parties. However, to minimize major changes occurring between the planning commission's adoption of the zoning code for recommendation to the city council and the final zoning code adopted by the city council, the staff suggests that the city council and planning commission jointly meet so that the city council can learn about the planning commission's work on the zoning code and the planning commission has the opportunity to understand what key policies the city council will want to see incorporated into the revised code. Using this approach, the zoning code prepared by the planning commission and presented to the public by the planning commission may reflect the policies that the city council will want incorporated into the original draft document. Proposed process. Please see the attached chart for a possible process for proceeding with this approach to the zoning code for your input and comment. Action Items: Direct staff on how to proceed with the process for moving ahead with re -zoning Attachments: Proposed process for proceeding with the rezoning Person responsible: Susan Hoyt, Project Director Kelli Matzek, Assistant Planner Time Allocated: To be determined by city council.