Community Development Code Update 2012

Development Review – Creating a More Responsive Process

Summary

The City of Steamboat Springs is proposing significant revisions to development review processes. The purpose of these revisions is to provide more efficient, predictable and cost effective review of development proposals. By creating development review processes that are commensurate in length, cost and submittal requirements to the degree of consistency with the City’s adopted development standards both the community and applicants will benefit. These revisions will provide opportunities for more meaningful public participation by encouraging greater participation early in the process where larger, more-impactful decisions may be considered.

Current Development Review Processes – “The long maybe”

Currently all commercial, industrial, and multifamily development and subdivision proposals of a certain size are heard by Planning Commission and City Council at a public hearing regardless of whether or not the proposal is fully in conformance with the City’s adopted Community Development Code. This results in an extended period of uncertainty for both the applicant and the community. Project’s that are requesting variances from the code are now initially evaluated simply by the number of changes requested rather than the potential impact of those variances. Requiring all proposals to go through a public hearing process in essence encourages requests for variances since there is no advantage or savings in submitting a fully conforming application. In addition, significant design and financial investment must be committed by the time proposals are heard at public hearing. This investment creates great risks, expectations and urgency for the applicant and as well as for the community and reviewing bodies. In order to provide a more predictable, efficient, and cost effective review process, City staff is proposing a more rational nexus between potential development impacts and the required review and approval process. Suggested code revisions will recognize that the degree to which standards are varied will likely have a much greater impact on the project’s acceptability than the number of variations alone.

Proposed Development Review Processes

City Staff is proposing an approach that organizes categories of variations into tiers based on maintaining the integrity of the zone district’s intent as well as potential impacts to the community. This will allow for consideration of requested variances prior to significant applicant investment and provide the applicant with earlier feedback on the project’s feasibility. In addition, this process will provide more opportunity for deciding bodies and staff to work with an applicant to craft a proposal that will be acceptable to the community. Investment in quality design and construction is encouraged by reducing the cost of lengthy and often unnecessary process.

Public Participation

Because proposals that are in conformance with all the development standards in the CDC cannot be denied at Planning Commission or City Council, requiring conforming proposals to go through public hearings puts unnecessary time and cost obligations on an applicant and creates false expectations for the public. In order to facilitate meaningful public participation, City Staff is proposing that earlier public hearings be held for development proposals that are not in conformance with adopted development standards... This will provide the opportunity for constructive input early in the process when it is most beneficial and prior to significant investment by the applicant.

Next Steps

Watch this site as well as Planning Commission and City Council Agendas for the next scheduled public discussion of this topic.