Title
Public Hearing - Appl. #PL2018-106 - Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Amendment #69 - Re-codification of the UDO with a new numbering system; City of Lee’s Summit, applicant.
Body
Issue/Request:
The purpose of this application is to reorganize and recodify the City’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). No content changes are proposed unless they are in a separate application. There are UDO amendments working their way through the City process concurrent with this reorganization and they will be included in the reorganized UDO if approved. Although no content changes in the reorganization effort, City legal staff recommended a public hearing process to be as transparent as possible.
The UDO is referenced in Chapter 33 of City Code. It is maintained and displayed in separate documents and websites. The rest of the City’s Code of Ordinances is stored and maintained by Municode, a third party company. If approved, the UDO in its entirety would reside in Chapter 33 of the City Code. Municode will integrate the UDO into the online City Code and provide physical copies for staff. The code will be searchable and individual sections can easily be printed or linked. Staff worked with Municode since November of 2017 to place the UDO into their system. This effort is nearing completion and a complete proof set has been provided. Staff reorganized the UDO to accommodate how a customer would seek answers about their property or how to locate a use in the City. Chapters are ordered to go from high level concerns such as location down to site development standards and platting procedure.
Once completed, staff will be begin updating language in the UDO to make the code easier to use, ensure it works well with the Design and Construction Manual and conforms to commonly used definitions and measurements. Staff felt it would be best to start this effort with a codification more consistent with the rest of the City’s ordinances. The intent is to include more visuals to make standards easier to understand for our customers. We are also examining our processes to see where the UDO can be amended to maintain the same level of review while reducing the time required to obtain entitlements. The reformatting is the first step towards reviewing City standards to ensure quality development in conformance with Objective 1.1 of the Comprehensive Plan. Goal 2 of the Comprehensive Plan tasks the City with creating business opportunities that strengthen economic competiveness in the area. Clearer development standards are also a component of the City’s economic well-being. Municode also integrates amendments to the code after approval by Council, offloading some administrative work for City staff.
Presenter
Josh Johnson, AICP Assistant Director of Plan Services
Recommendation
Recommendation: Staff recommends APPROVAL of UDO Amendment #69 as attached to the staff letter dated July 20, 2018.
Committee Recommendation
Committee Recommendation:
July 11, 2018 CEDC meeting - Staff presented the reformatted UDO to the CEDC and explained the structure of the document and the rationale of having Municode administer the UDO. CEDC voted unanimously to move the reformatted code to the Planning Commission.