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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA001 - Council Action Form dated December 14, 1999 5 ITEM # DATE 12/14/99 COUNCIL ACTION FORM SUBJECT: MOTION APPROVING AMENDMENTS TO THE SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS THAT RELATE TO THE APPLICABILITY, PROCEDURES, DESIGN, AND IMPROVEMENT STANDARDS AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS OF THE REGULATIONS. ACTION FORM SUMMARY: The City Council is being asked to approve several amendments to the Subdivision Regulations that relate to the applicability of the ordinance, the procedures, design and improvement standards and submission requirements. Staff recommends that these amendments be approved. BACKGROUND: The City Council approved the new Subdivision Regulations (Chapter 23 of the Municipal Code) in May of 1999. Since the approval of these new regulations, staff has administered the review and made recommendations on as many as 15 Major or Minor Subdivisions. As a result of this experience, there are several amendments to the regulations that we believe are needed to improve the administration and effectiveness of the new regulations. From the beginning we were of the belief that there would likely be a need for what might be referred to as technical amendments to revise regulatory provisions that could not be contemplated until the ordinance was used for a period of time. ANALYSIS: The proposed amendments to the Subdivision Regulations are summarized as follows: Division I General Provisions There is a proposed change that would give the City Council the ability to waive the requirement of a property owner obtaining approval of a Minor Subdivision. The City Council could waive the requirement where the legal description of the property, for which a building and zoning permit is being sought, is already clear as determined by the City Council. Additionally, all of the substantive requirements of the Subdivision Regulations would also have to have been met (the Ed Sorenson problem). Division II Procedures A change is being proposed with respect to the time requirement for submittal of a "Final Plat" for a Major Subdivision. Currently, there is no specified advance submittal time requirement for the Final Plat. There is a time requirement of 21 days within which the City must decide on the request for the Final Plat. There have been several instances where a Final Plat has been submitted under these new requirements and it has been the coincidental good fortune that there have been special meetings of the City Council that have served to enable the City to meet the time requirement. What is being proposed is a 15-day minimum advance submittal requirement, which ensures adequate time for staff to review. Additionally, the time requirement for the City to take action is being extended to 30 days, which will lessen the dependence on special meetings to meet the approval requirement. Division III Design and Improvement Standards Site Design Standards Recently, the City Council approved by resolution the Urban Standards for Public Improvements. The standards obviously effect how street and infrastructure are to be installed within a Subdivision. The Design and Improvement Section of the Subdivision Regulations will now reference these standards. Lot Standards With respect to lot standards, the current regulations require that lots have access to public streets. The lot design standard does not require that lots front on a public street. The street design standards contain both requirements of access and frontage. To make these two design standards the same, which is the desired end result, the lot standard is being changed to require frontage on a street. Street Width Standards Since the City has recently approved the Urban Standard Specifications for Public Improvements it is now necessary to revise the street width standards to be consistent with the recently adopted Urban Standards. The existing street width table is being substituted with a new street width table that is consistent with the Urban Standards. Submission Requirements Currently a property owner is required to tie the outer boundary of a Minor Subdivision to two (2) section corners on the Public Land Survey system plus two monuments within a plat where the property has already been subdivided. This requirement creates duplication with respect to the requirement of tying to existing monuments. The change would eliminate this duplication and require a tie to either the public land survey monuments or existing monuments of an existing Subdivision. A copy of the proposed changes to the Subdivision Regulations is attached for review by the City Council. ALTERNATIVES: 1. The City Council can approve the amendments to the Subdivision Regulations as proposed. 2. The City Council can deny approval of the amendments to the Subdivision Regulations. 3. The City Council can approve the proposed amendments to the Subdivision Regulations with modifications. MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION: It is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt Alternative #1. This action will approve the proposed changes to the recently adopted Subdivision Regulations. Staff has had some time to administer these regulations and is recommending these changes which will assist with more effective administration. COUNCIL ACTION: 3