7.1. EDSR 09-21-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Council Review and Staff Authority Staff has, and continues to, work with the City Council to streamline the Council/staff review. Council recently adopted an ordinance amendment to the permitted and conditional uses for all commercial and industrial uses. The goal of the amendment, among others, was to reduce the number of Conditional Use Permits required and thus reduce approval time. Staff has also amended the landscape standards to provide more credits for existing vegetation and discussed paving/curbing standards. Balancing community goals/aesthetics with business opportunity will continue to be a goal for the Planning Division and City Council. Concern #8: There is a need for balance between desire for beautification and business use of property (storage, signage, etc.) The balance between community goals and aesthetics and the business use of a property continues to be a topic of discussion. When reviewing applications, staff works with the Council and the applicant to find a middle ground when additional standards or changes are needed. When ordinance concerns are consistently brought to staff’s attention, they are then presented to Council for their consideration and direction. Concern #9: Develop a proactive approach to business development and educate builders, contractors, and owners about ordinance standards, processes and timelines before a project is submitted. Pre-application meetings and work sessions Staff is available for pre-application meetings requested by the developer or applicant. These meetings have always been available and will continue to be available for every project and application (administrative site plan reviews to CUPs, Plats, or variances). Additionally, the city recently began scheduling regular pre-application meetings for the second Monday of each month. These meetings are in addition to the individual meetings. They will provide applicants with an opportunity to meet with multiple departments and receive answers to questions about planning, engineering, utilities, stormwater, etc. When working with applicants on unique situations, staff also suggests work session discussions with the City Council to provide clarification on ordinance standards, or to receive guidance on a potential change. A work session discussion is an effective and efficient venue to receive feedback directly from the decision makers prior to investing additional resources into drawings or renderings. Review and Update Project Checklists All land use applications are available online and include a checklist of items that may or may not be required for a complete application. Staff recognizes that the application checklist is more extensive than most applications will require. Few applications require an EIS for example but reviewing the list with applicants helps identify the key items needed for their application. This is done during a scheduled meeting, a pre- application meeting, and/or during a stop at the Planning counter. The goal is to receive sufficient and accurate information for staff, the Planning Commission, and the City Council to make an informed decision about an individual application. Many times, this is different for each project, but we make every attempt to work with a willing applicant to identify required materials for submittal. Concern #10: Communicate code enforcement activities in a professional and customer service focused manner. Enforcement of city ordinances and standards of approval for a Conditional Use Permit are an ongoing process. Staff works to communicate violations in a consistent and professional manner. This includes letters to a property or business owner to document the violation and, depending on the nature of the violation, staff will stop in and visit with the business owner. A quick conversation will address simple violations quickly and does