Unified Development Ordinance Morrisville, North Carolina

1. Unified Development OrdinanceMorrisville, North Carolina Assessment Report / Outline May 2011 CLARION ASSOCIATES

2. Setting the Stage for a New Unified Development Ordinance • Do current regulations effectively implement the Land Use Plan and other adopted plans and policies? • Zoning districts and land uses • Development standards • Procedures for approval

3. Project Initiation, Research, & Analysis • Background document review • Initial project meeting • Stakeholder interviews and survey

4. Work Plan and Schedule

5. Contents of Assessment Report • Introduction • Assessment of Current Regulations • Annotated Outline of the New Unified Development Ordinance • Analysis of Current Development Regulations

6. Assessment Report: Major Themes • Streamline the Development Review Process • Strike a Better Balance Between Flexibility and Creativity • Modify Zoning Districts to Implement the New Land Use Plan • Improve Development Quality • Increase User-Friendliness

7. Theme 1: Streamline the Development Review Process • Differentiate between different types of development review • Issues: • Confusion between site plan approval and construction drawings • Uncertainty and delays in bringing small and straightforward projects without delay • Proposal: Offer two separate tracks • One-step: combined site plan and construction drawings (less cost for all parties) • Two-step: general sketch plan followed by detailed construction drawings (less up-front cost for developer)

9. Theme 1: Streamline the Development Review Process • Delegate some review authority to staff or Planning and Zoning Board • Reduce reliance on special use permits and conditional rezonings • Formalize a staff development review committee • Provide a master plan option

10. Theme 1: Streamline the Development Review Process • Establish standard review procedures

11. Theme 2: Strike a Better BalanceBetween Flexibility and Creativity • Add an Administrative Adjustment Procedure • Add an Alternative Equivalent Compliance Procedure

12. Theme 3: Modify Zoning Districts to Implement the Land Use Plan • Establish new activity center districts • Neighborhood Activity Center • Business Activity Center • Regional Activity Center • Community Activity Center

13. Theme 3: Modify Zoning Districts to Implement the Land Use Plan Example Image Only – Not Morrisville Specific

14. Theme 3: Modify Zoning Districts to Implement the Land Use Plan • New transit-oriented development planned development district • Convert current Agricultural district into very-low residential district • Add new multi-family residential district and consolidate single-family residential districts • Modify the corridor commercial district • Eliminate the neighborhood and general business districts

15. Theme 4: Improve Development Quality • Add tree protection and canopy preservation standards

16. Theme 4: Improve Development Quality • Broaden open space protections

17. Theme 4: Improve Development Quality • Encourage sustainable development practices • Mandatory code requirements • Menu of optional sustainability features

18. Theme 4: Improve Development Quality • Other issues addressed: • Increase parking flexibility • Expand building standards to cover multi-family and mixed-use

19. Theme 5: Increase User-Friendliness • Consolidate multiple ordinances into a new UDO • Reorganize development regulations more logically • Add and enhance graphics • Use supplemental administrative manuals

21. Annotated Outline of New UDO • General Provisions • Administration • Zoning Districts • Use Standards • Intensity and Dimensional Standards • Development Standards • Performance and Maintenance • Nonconformities • Enforcement • Interpretation and Definitions

22. Next Steps in Preparing UDO • Develop UDO Drafting Options • Time • 1 year - consultant • 3 to 5 years - staff • Cost • 170k to have consultant draft (estimated) • 20k allocated in current fiscal year budget • Staff capacity • 20 to 40 hours a month

23. Next Steps in Preparing UDO • Town Council Workshop • Present Options • Set Priorities • Streamline development review process • Strike balance between flexibility and certainty • Modify zoning districts to implement Land Use Plan • Improve development quality • Increase user-friendliness

24. Next Steps in Preparing UDO • Town Council Workshop • Present Options • Set Priorities • Streamline development review process • Strike balance between flexibility and certainty • Modify zoning districts to implement Land Use Plan • Improve development quality • Increase user-friendliness green = draft from start to finishyellow = draft in small sections

25. Drafting from Start to Finish(bullets in greenon the previous slide) Benefits Constraints No funding to hire a consultant to write the UDO Current staff capacity (if consultant is not hired) • Addresses all themes in the same timeframe • Most timely and efficient option (if consultant is hired) • Decreases likelihood of conflicting regulations • Allows staff to focus on core services (if consultant hired) • Reduces inconsistencies between land use plan and current development entitlements

26. Preparing in Small Sections(bullets in yellowon the previous slide) Benefits Cons/Constraints Does not adequately address Streamlining the development review process(Theme 1) Adds another regulatory document which decreasesuser-friendliness (Theme 5) Costs more money and staff time Loss of revenue by delaying development, which increases the tax base Increases the likelihood of conflicting requirements • Uses existing resources (budget and staff) • Addresses specific issues: • Sign ordinance • Tree preservation (Theme 4) • Administrative Adjustment (Theme 2) • Alternative Equivalent of Compliance (Theme 2)

27. Unified Development OrdinanceMorrisville, North Carolina Assessment Report / Outline May 2011 CLARION ASSOCIATES