* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. WELL, I APPRECIATE [00:00:01] EVERYONE TAKING SOME TIME OUT OF THEIR SCHEDULE TONIGHT. WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF SYNOPSIS OF THE PROJECT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, SOME OF THE STEPS WE'VE TAKEN TO GET TO THIS POINT, THE ASSESSMENT THAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED ON KIND OF OUTLINING WHAT'S WORKING, WHAT'S NOT WORKING IN OUR CODE, WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH OUR REGULATIONS, KIND OF QUALM THE MISCONCEPTION THAT WE ARE TOTALLY WRITING NEW STANDARDS FOR EVERYWHERE IN NEW BERN, BECAUSE THAT IS VERY MUCH NOT WHAT WE'RE DOING. THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO REORGANIZE WHAT WE'VE GOT, MAKE IT COHESIVE, MAKE IT EASY TO USE, MAKE IT EASY TO LOOK THINGS UP IN, TO TAKE THE STANDARDS THAT ARE KIND OF SCATTERED EVERYWHERE BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN AMENDED FOR YEARS AND YEARS IN SOME CERTAIN SECTIONS FOR DECADES. AND TO REORGANIZE THAT INTO SOMETHING THAT IS VERY SIMPLE, UNDERSTANDABLE, AND EASY TO USE. THE OTHER GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS ONE 60 D COMPLIANT AND TO SPEAK REGULAR LANGUAGE. THE STATE MERGED CITY AND COUNTY PLANNING LAWS. IT WENT INTO EFFECT IN 2021. OUR LEGAL TEAM WENT THROUGH AND THEY REPLACED, KIND OF FOUND AND REPLACED ALL OF THE REFERENCES TO, UM, STATE STATUTES. WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN WAS THE STREAMLINING OF THE RECOMMENDED DEFINITIONS OF THE STATE SAYING THAT WE SHOULD BE USING NOW CERTAIN PROCEDURES THAT, UM, UH, WERE, WERE NOT, NOT UPDATED, THAT NEEDED TO BE UPDATED AND THINGS LIKE THAT. IT'S VERY MUCH PROCEDURAL. WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROCESSES THAT HAPPEN IN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, WHICH KIND OF HAPPEN, UM, IN OUR CULTURE, BUT ARE NOT ORDAINED AND AN ORDINANCE. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ADDING CONSISTENCY IN WITH TIMETABLES AND YOU KNOW, WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU WANT TO COME DEVELOP SOMETHING IN THE CITY OF NEW BERN. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT ADDING IN REGULATIONS FOR USES THAT ARE UP AND COMING. CHAD'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOUSING THAT ARE, UM, MAY NOT HAVE HIT NEWBURN YET, BUT WE DO NOT HAVE THE CODES TO ACCOMMODATE. SO WE CAN AVOID A SITUATION WHERE WE HAVE A DEVELOPER COME IN AND SAY THEY WANT TO DEVELOP SOMETHING AND WE HAVE TO TELL YOU, SORRY, WE LIKE YOUR PROJECT, BUT OUR CODE DOESN'T ACCOMMODATE THAT. SO THINKING AHEAD IN SOME OF THOSE WAYS. UM, THINGS LIKE THAT. IT WAS JUST TIME TO DO A COMPREHENSIVE REORGANIZATION, WHICH TYPICALLY GETS DONE, UM, BETWEEN 10 AND 20 YEARS IN ORGANIZATION. SO ONCE WE HAVE THIS DONE, IT WILL BE MUCH EASIER TO MAINTAIN AND HOPEFULLY EASIER TO USE FOR A WHILE BECAUSE THE WAY IN THE PROCESS FOR AMENDING IT WILL BE MUCH SIMPLER. UM, FOR EXAMPLE, JUST TODAY A SITUATION CAME UP WITH A, A SIGN ORGA SITUATION AND IT'S PRO REFERENCE TO A SECTION OF THE ORDINANCE THAT NO LONGER EXISTS. THERE'S JUST A LOT OF SLOPPY THINGS THAT HAPPEN LIKE THAT WHEN YOU AMEND THINGS OVER TIME. AND SO THAT'S ALL GETTING CLEANED UP AND WE'VE LOOKED AT ALL THESE THINGS AND HOW THEY ARE WORKING TOGETHER IN OUR CODE RIGHT NOW. WE, UM, ALL GOT TOGETHER AND A LOT OF THAT IS WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE TONIGHT. HOW DID WE GET THERE? WELL, WE STARTED OFF WITH STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS. WE, WE BROUGHT IN THE PEOPLE THAT PULLED THE MOST PERMITS IN THE CITY OF NEW BERN, AND WE TALKED TO THEM TO GET STARTED. WE TALKED TO OUR ATTORNEYS THAT WORK IN LAND USE THE MOST OFTEN IN THE CITY OF NEW BERN TO GET, UM, THEY HAD STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS, UM, A COUPLE OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT BOARDS. UM, AND THERE WAS ABOUT 12. WE INTERVIEWED ABOUT A DOZEN PEOPLE. AND WE ALSO PUT TOGETHER SIMULTANEOUSLY A STAFF LEVEL STEERING COMMITTEE, WHICH CONSISTS OF OUR LEGAL TEAM, OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, OUR FIRE MARSHAL, UH, AND ALL OF OUR LAND USE STAFF PEOPLE THAT WORK IN LAND USE DAY TO DAY. AND SO THAT'S WHO'S STEERING THIS UNTIL WE GET THROUGH THIS PART, BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA SEE, UM, SOME OF OUR REGULATIONS REPACKAGED. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THAT AND PROPOSE THE WAY WE'RE, WE'RE PACKAGING THEM, AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A WORK SESSION WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK, EXPLAIN WHY WE THINK THE REORGANIZATION WILL WORK BETTER, AND ONCE WE HAVE THEIR LEVEL OF COMFORT TO MOVE FORWARD IS WHEN WE'RE GOING TO START REBUILDING, PLUGGING IN OUR, UH, LAND USE REGULATIONS THAT WORK REALLY WELL NOW. AND THEN STARTING TO TALK ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE KNOW AREN'T WORKING SO WELL. WE KNOW WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH CERTAIN USES. WE KNOW WE HAVE A PROBLEM, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH TOO MANY VAPE STORES. WE KNOW WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH A, A SIGN ORDINANCE THAT IS, UM, KIND OF WONKY AND DIFFICULT TO CONSISTENTLY APPLY. [00:05:01] THERE'S CERTAIN STANDARDS IN OUR DOWNTOWN DISTRICT THAT NEED TO BE RELOOKED AT. AND, UM, WE HAVE REALLY ANTIQUATED PARKING STANDARDS AND WE'RE, WE'RE PROPOSING DIFFERENT WAYS TO HANDLE SOME OF THESE THINGS. THAT'S WHEN WE'RE REALLY GONNA GET INTO THE PROCESS OF WE NEED CITIZEN INPUT. AND THIS IS GOING TO BRING US TO A SECTION WHERE WE'LL BE REACHING OUT AND HAVING FOCUS GROUPS WITH, UH, THOSE DIFFERENT GROUPS IN THE COMMUNITY. OUR DOWNTOWN DISTRICT, AND I TALKED TO ALDERMAN PRO ABOUT THIS EARLIER TODAY ON EMAIL, OUR DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, PARTICULARLY WHEN WE GET TO STEP SIX, WHICH IS OUTLINED IN OUR PROJECT, UM, WEBSITE, WHERE WE TEST HOW WILL THIS ACTUALLY LOOK IF YOU DEVELOP A NEW SUBDIVISION VERSUS WHAT WE HAVE NOW VERSUS HOW IT'S PROPOSED. AND YOU LITERALLY TAKE PROJECTS AND YOU TEST IT TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE NOT HAVING UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. ALSO, WEIGHING THE BALANCE OF, UH, WE HAVE DRAINAGE PROBLEMS AND IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT PERHAPS WE NEED TO DO MORE AND REQUIRE MORE OF DEVELOPERS, EVEN ON INDIVIDUAL, LOTS OF SHOWING A PLAN LIKE THEY DO IN OUR SISTER BEACH COMMUNITIES OF HOW THE WATER IS RETAINED ON LOTS. BUT WE ALWAYS NEED TO BE MINDFUL THAT WE'RE FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN ADDING COST AND WHAT THE BENEFIT IS. SO THESE ARE SOME MORE COMPLICATED ISSUES THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE GETTING INTO IN THE FUTURE, BUT RIGHT NOW WE'D LIKE TO PROPOSE, UM, THE ASSESSMENT OF WHAT WE HAVE AND KIND OF WHAT IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD. AND SO WE APPRECIATE EVERYBODY COMING OUT TO LEARN ABOUT THIS TONIGHT. AND I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO CHAD AND ONCE CHAD, UM, GOT IT. ARE YOU OKAY WITH, WITH QUESTIONS DURING THIS? ABSOLUTELY. OR YOU WANT AT THE END? IT'S A SMALL, INTIMATE GROUP TONIGHT. SO I WILL TURN THIS OVER TO CHAD AND WE'RE ALL HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE AT THE END. THANKS, JESS. HI, I'M CHAD. THAT'LL BE IT FOR TONIGHT. , THAT'S PRETTY MUCH COVERED IT ALL. UM, THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR, UH, SPENDING SOME TIME WITH US. WE'RE GONNA TAKE, I'M GONNA TAKE 20 MINUTES, 30 MINUTES OR SO, AND JUST KIND OF WALK YOU THROUGH SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE, UH, ON THE PROJECT THUS FAR. UH, BECAUSE IT IS A SMALL SETTING AND IT'S INTIMATE, PLEASE JUST, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, UH, STOP ME. UM, AND LET'S HAVE, AS SOON AS, AS SOON AS WE CAN TURN THIS INTO A DISCUSSION, THE HAPPIER I'LL BE. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST, UH, JUST SHOUT OUT OR RAISE YOUR HAND, WHATEVER, AND, UH, AND WE'LL STOP AND, AND DO QUESTIONS. UM, THANK YOU TO THE ELECTED OFFICIALS, APPOINTED OFFICIALS WHO APPEAR THIS EVENING THANKS TO THE STAFF. SO IF YOU GUYS ARE READY, GET STARTED. UM, I WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROJECT TEAM. I'LL INTRODUCE MYSELF AGAIN. UM, MOST OF YOU PROBABLY UNDERSTAND YOUR LAND USE ORDINANCE, BUT THERE'S A COUPLE OF SLIDES IN THERE IN CASE THERE'S ANYONE IN THE ROOM WHO MAYBE DOESN'T HAVE A FULL GRASP OF WHAT LAND USE ORDINANCES DO. UH, WE'LL TALK IN MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE RENEW BURN PROJECT ITSELF, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE CALLING THIS EFFORT. THE, UH, LU UPDATE EFFORT, UH, THE CODE ASSESSMENT THAT JESS MENTIONED, UM, THE ASSESSMENT OF YOUR CURRENT REGULATION. UM, AND THEN FINALLY NEXT STEPS. SO THESE WILL BE THE TOPICS THAT WE COVER. UM, I'M CHAD MEADOWS. I AM PROJECT MANAGER. I'M ALSO LEAD DRAFTER. MY FIRM IS CO-WRITE, UH, AND I OPERATE OUT OF DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA. I'VE BEEN A PLANNER FOR 30 YEARS, UH, 32 YEARS. UM, AND CO-WRITE HAS BEEN A COMPANY IN BUSINESS FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. UM, THIS WILL BE, UH, I DON'T KNOW, THE 32ND, 33RD DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE THAT CODE WRITE HAS PREPARED, UH, FOR COMMUNITIES IN NORTH CAROLINA. SO, UM, WITH ME TONIGHT AND ON THE TEAM IS COURTNEY TANNER. UM, COURTNEY, WHY DON'T YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF? UM, CERTAINLY, UH, COURTNEY TANNER. UH, I AM ACTUALLY A PLANNING DIRECTOR IN ANOTHER JURISDICTION IN NORTH CAROLINA. I'VE BEEN A PLANNING DIRECTOR IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS AND SPENT OVER HALF MY CAREER ON THE MANAGEMENT SIDE. SO I UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WORK WITH A CODE AS A, SO IT'S NOT DISTRACTING IT, BUT ACTUALLY AS A USER. SO I BRING THAT EXPERIENCE TO THE TEAM AND SOME OF THE DAY-TO-DAY CHALLENGES THAT I ENCOUNTER, UM, JUST AS MY ROLE AS A DIRECTOR. SO THAT'S MY PURVIEW. AND I'M ALSO ONE OF THE, UH, CODE DRAFTERS, UM, FOR THE PROJECT. THANKS, COURTNEY. COURTNEY AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS, UH, BELIEVE IT OR NOT. SO, UM, WE HAVE A VERY GOOD ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP AND, UH, WE, WE HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE THAT WE CAN BRING TO THE TABLE. ALSO WITH US IS AN, HE'S NOT WITH US TONIGHT, BUT ON THE TEAM IS ANDREW OAL. UH, ANDREW IS ALSO A PLANNER IN ANOTHER COMMUNITY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STATE. UH, HE WAS INVOLVED IN THAT COMMUNITY'S ROLLOUT OF THEIR UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE, SIMILAR TO A LAND USE ORDINANCE, JUST A DIFFERENT NAME. WE ARE ALSO JOINED BY A COUPLE OF, OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS. UM, HUNTER FREEMAN IS WITH MCADAMS. THEY'RE AN ENGINEERING FIRM. UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN MCADAMS, 500 OR SO OFFICES ALL OVER THE PLACE. UH, HUNTER IS THE, UM, [00:10:01] THE GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE GUY, UH, EITHER IN THE STATE OR PERHAPS EVEN THE EAST COAST. HE IS ONE OF THE MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE PROFESSIONALS ON STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, STORMWATER ALTERNATIVES, HOW TO INTEGRATE STORMWATER SUCCESSFULLY INTO, UH, NEW DEVELOPMENTS. WE ALSO HAVE EDDIE MOORE WITH US. UH, HE'S ALSO WITH MCADAMS AND HE'LL BE HEADING UP THE TESTING, UH, PART OF THE PROJECT. AND I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT IN A MINUTE BECAUSE THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF THIS. HOW WE ENGAGE THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY IN SOME REAL WORLD EXERCISES, LOOKING AT DRAFT REGULATIONS BEFORE THEY GET ADOPTED TO, IN HOPES OF FINDING PROBLEMS, UH, AND COMING UP WITH SOLUTIONS, UM, BEFORE WE'VE ADOPTED. SO THAT'LL BE PART OF IT. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO UPDATING YOUR ZONING MAP. UM, THE ZONING MAP IS PART OF THE LAND USE ORDINANCE, AND THERE ARE, UH, NUMEROUS DISTRICTS IN YOUR CURRENT ORDINANCE. UH, A LOT OF COMPLEXITY, UM, THAT HAS PROBABLY SERVED THE CITY WELL OVER THE YEARS, BUT IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME IN AND STREAMLINE THINGS, MAKE THINGS A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO UNDERSTAND, A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO OPERATE. WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY TAKING AWAY STANDARDS, UH, BUT WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE THEM EASIER TO FOLLOW. AND I'LL TALK SOME MORE ABOUT THAT IN A MINUTE AS WELL. SO, KIM WHALEY AT TIDEWATER ASSOCIATES, UH, THEY ARE A LOCAL FIRM, I DO BELIEVE, UH, OR AT LEAST IN MONSO COUNTY. ANYWAY, VERY CLOSE BY. UM, KIM WHALEY WILL BE OUR GIS PERSON. SO THIS IS THE TEAM. UM, EVERY TIME THAT WE COME TO TOWN, YOU WILL SEE ME. UM, YOU WILL LIKELY SEE COURTNEY EVERY TIME THERE'S A TRIP HERE. UM, IF YOU'RE WONDERING WHO'S GONNA WRITE THE CODE, YOU'RE LOOKING AT 'EM. UM, WE DON'T GIVE OUR CODE WORK TO JUNIOR ASSOCIATES OR ANYBODY LIKE THAT. WE'RE THE ONES WHO DRAFT. WE DO THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, WE DO THE, THE GRAPHICS, WE DO IT ALL, UH, AND THE PRESENTATION. SO, UH, WE'LL BE WITH YOU FOR THE NEXT, NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS WORKING ON THIS PROJECT. SO, LAND USE ORDINANCE, LUO 1 0 1, WHAT THE HECK IS AN LUO? IT'S THE REGULATORY DOCUMENT THAT CONTROLS LAND USE, WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR LAND, WHERE YOU CAN DO THOSE THINGS, AND HOW THOSE USES CAN BE OPERATED AFTER THEY'RE ESTABLISHED. OKAY? THE LUO ALSO INCLUDES THE PROCEDURES THAT THE CITY USES FOR REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS AS WELL AS THE ENFORCEMENT PROVISIONS. OKAY? SO, SOUP TO NUTS, IT IS THE RULES FOR HOW DEVELOPMENT IS BUILT, HOW DEVELOPMENT IS OPERATED, OKAY? AND AGAIN, THE, THE LUO ALSO INCLUDES A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ASPECTS. YOUR CAAMA COMMUNITY, UM, AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS YOU ARE REQUIRED BY THE STATE, UH, THE STATE'S COASTAL AREA MANAGEMENT ACT TO PREPARE A LAND USE PLAN, UH, AND TO KEEP IT CURRENT. AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS BECAUSE YOU'RE IN A, IN A DELICATE AREA, ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE SUBJECT TO A LOT OF OUTWARD PRESSURE FROM THE ENVIRONMENT. AND THE STATE WANTS TO BE SURE THAT ALL 22 COUNTIES AND ALL OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN EACH OF THOSE COUNTIES IS PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE. OKAY? AND SO YOU HAVE A MANDATE TO HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. OKAY? AND YOU HAVE ONE THAT'S GREAT. THE LUO IS THE PRIMARY IMPLEMENTATION TOOL FOR YOUR LAND USE POLICY GUIDANCE. OKAY? IT IS THE TOOL THAT IMPLEMENTS THE PLAN THAT YOU'RE REQUIRED TO HAVE. IT REGULATES ZONING, THE SUBDIVISION OF LAND, STORM WATER, FLOODPLAINS, LANDSCAPING SCREENING, TRANSPORTATION, MOBILITY, AND A HANDFUL OF OTHER THINGS. OKAY? SO THIS IS A, A, A FAR REACHING DOCUMENT. THERE'S A LOT GOING ON. UM, AND I BELIEVE THE LAST TIME YOU HAD IT, UH, WHEN DID YOU ADOPT LAST? WAS IT 20? NO, UH, YOU ADOPTED IN OH ONE, RIGHT? ISN'T THAT WHEN YOU WERE CURRENT? LUO WAS MOST RECENTLY ADOPTED. THERE WAS SOME SURGERY DONE ON IT AROUND Y 2K. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. BUT IT'S, IT, IT HASN'T HAD A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW IN QUITE SOME TIME. SO WE'RE GONNA MAKE SOME CHANGES. UM, AGAIN, STRUCTURAL CHANGES, ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES. THERE ARE SOME MINOR ADDITIONS HERE AND THERE. UH, AND WE WILL HELP YOU GUYS SLOUGH OFF THE THINGS THAT ARE OBSOLETE AND THAT YOU'RE NO LONGER USING. OKAY. I MENTIONED, UH, A MINUTE AGO, THE LUO ALSO INCLUDES THE, THE ZONING MAP. AND THE ZONING MAP IS THERE ON THE TABLE. THAT IS YOUR CURRENT ZONING MAP. AND AGAIN, THIS IS HOW, THIS IS THE, THE WHERE ASPECT OF THE LAND USE ORDINANCE. UM, WHAT USES ARE LOCATED, ARE ALLOWED IN WHICH LOCATIONS, AND WHAT'S THE PROCEDURE THAT THE CITY USES TO HELP ESTABLISH THOSE KINDS OF USES? OKAY? THAT'S LUO 1 0 1. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT STUFF? OKAY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LIKE TO DO, AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR US, I'LL JUST TAKE A MINUTE AND, AND MENTION THAT, UM, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS MATERIAL ISN'T EXACTLY EDGE OF THE SEAT STUFF. UM, AND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS GENERALLY AREN'T [00:15:01] AS EXCITING AS MAYBE WHAT'S ON NETFLIX OR, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE OLYMPICS OR WHAT'S ON TV OR WHATEVER. BUT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, TRANSPARENCY TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE, THE PEOPLE WHO OWN LAND, THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY IS VITAL. IT'S ABSOLUTELY VITAL THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S PROPOSED, WHAT'S BEING SUGGESTED, AND HELPS TALK THROUGH, UH, CHANGES. UH, BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S GOT, UH, MORE TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE, RIGHT? ONE OF OUR PRIMARY VEHICLES FOR ENSURING PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON IS A PROJECT WEBPAGE. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE PREPARE AND THAT WE MAINTAIN OVER THE ARC OF THE PROJECT. OKAY? AND FOR NEWBURN, IT IS WWW.RE-NEWBURN.COM. OKAY. AND ON THIS WEBPAGE IS INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO PARTICIPATE, UH, DRAFT WORK PRODUCTS, DETAILS ON WHY WE'RE DOING IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS. THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES OR PLACES FOR A PERSON TO POSE A QUESTION, UM, TO BE SENT TO THE CITY AND MYSELF SO THAT WE CAN REVIEW THAT. UM, AND WE WILL MAINTAIN THIS OVER THE ARC OF THE PROJECT. THERE'S A VARIETY OF OTHER THINGS THAT WE'LL BE DOING. UM, AS WE GO THROUGH THE DRAFTING PROCESS, THINGS LIKE THIS, PUBLIC FORUMS, OPEN HOUSES, UH, WE HAVE A, A THING THAT WE DO CALLED OFFICE HOURS. UH, AND IT'S SOMETHING WE DO FOR EVERY TRIP, UM, THAT WE MAKE TO THE CITY. AND AN OFFICE HOUR IS BASICALLY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO, TO COME IN AND SIT DOWN AND TALK WITH ME OR COURTNEY AND I, UH, ABOUT WHATEVER THEY WANT TO TALK ABOUT, UH, WITH RESPECT TO THE PROJECT. UM, AND SO WE, UH, HAVE THE STAFF SCHEDULE THOSE MEETINGS FOR US. THEY'RE USUALLY HELD IN THIS ROOM. WE DID SOME OF THE LAST TRIP. UH, WE'LL BE DOING SOME MORE OF THE NEXT TRIP IN SEPTEMBER. UM, AND ANYBODY'S FREE TO, TO REQUEST TIME. UH, AND WE WILL HAPPILY MEET WITH THEM, UM, 30 MINUTES, 45 MINUTES, UM, MORE IF, IF TIME IS AVAILABLE AND, AND THEY'D LIKE TO HAVE MORE TIME. SO THAT, THOSE ARE PART OF OUR COMMITMENT TO THIS PROJECT AND OUR COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY. UM, AND SO YOU'LL SEE THAT TIME AND TIME AGAIN. UM, WE'LL BE BACK BEFORE YOU GUYS WITH, WITH DETAILS AND OTHER INFORMATION. SO, AND CAN I JUST ADD THE NEXT ONE IS SCHEDULED SEPTEMBER 11TH, BETWEEN TWO AND FIVE. THANK YOU. OKAY. PROJECT GOALS. WHAT ARE WE DOING THIS FOR? WHAT'S OUR, WHAT'S OUR OBJECTIVES? WE WANT TO MAKE THE REGULATIONS MORE USER FRIENDLY. UH, AS JESS MENTIONED, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD STANDARDS IN YOUR CURRENT REGULATION, BUT THEY'RE HARD TO FIND. IN SOME CASES, THEY'RE HARD TO ADMINISTER. UM, IT'S NOT VERY PREDICTABLE. UH, AND WE WANT PREDICTABLE REGULATIONS. WE WANT THE REGULATIONS TO BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT THE CITY WANTS, WHAT THE CITY'S LOOKING FOR. AND THEN WE WANT TO MAKE THOSE THINGS EASY TO DO. OKAY? SO WE WANT TO TELEGRAPH OUR DESIRES TO THE, TO THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, TO THE PEOPLE WHO OWN LAND HERE, AND THEN GET THE HECK OUT OF THE WAY AS THEY BRING US WHAT WE ASK FOR. NOW, THERE'S OTHER, THERE'S OTHER KINDS OF APPLICATIONS AND THINGS OUT THERE THAT MIGHT BE PROPOSED THAT DON'T TIGHTLY FIT WITHIN WHAT IT IS THAT WE ARE DESIRING OR WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. ARE THOSE OFF THE TABLE? NO. THERE ARE OTHER PROCEDURES AVAILABLE FOR THE CITY TO CONSIDER. THINGS THAT MAYBE DON'T ARE, THAT AREN'T A PERFECT FIT WITH THE DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS. THE POINT IS, YOU MAKE WHAT YOU WANT EASY AND WHAT YOU DON'T WANT, YOU HAVE A PROCESS FOR TO CONSIDER ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS. OKAY? SO MAKING THE CODE USER FRIENDLY IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THAT GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION, RIGHT? EVERYBODY GOES AND USES THE INTERNET NOW, WHERE WE'VE BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO GRAPHICS AND VISUAL AIDS. UM, AND LET'S FACE IT, DEVELOPMENT CODE CONCEPTS CAN BE A LITTLE DENSE. UH, THEY'RE, THEY CAN BE COMPLEX. UM, THEY CAN BE HARD TO UNDERSTAND. AND IMAGERY IS A VERY, VERY HELPFUL TOOL TO HELP PEOPLE GRASP WHAT WE SAY, WHAT'S OUR INTENT? WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. THIS IS HOW YOU COMPLY THIS. IF YOU DO THIS, THAT WON'T COMPLY. SO NOT JUST PICTURES OF WHAT TO DO, BUT PICTURES OF WHAT NOT TO DO, UM, ARE IMPORTANT PARTS OF, YOU KNOW, A DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE, PREDICTABLE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESSES, EFFICIENT AND PREDICTABLE. UM, EVERYBODY SHOULD BE ABLE TO READ THE CODE AND COME UP WITH THE SAME CONCLUSION ABOUT WHAT ARE THE STEPS IN THE PROCESS? WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO? WHAT ARE THE REVIEW CRITERIA THAT THE CITY'S GONNA USE TO ASSESS MY REQUEST? HOW DO I APPEAL? HOW DO I AMEND? DOES IT EXPIRE? SOME VERY BASICS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT YOUR STAFF DOES NOW, UH, FOR DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS THAT AREN'T CODIFIED, THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY PREDICTABLE OR CLEAR BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT INCLUDED IN YOUR DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE. SO WE WANT TO GET THOSE THINGS INCLUDED, UH, [00:20:01] AGAIN, FOR THE SAKE OF CLARITY. ALRIGHT? INCENTIVES AND FLEXIBILITY. I MENTIONED A SECOND AGO, WE WANNA MAKE WHAT WE WANT EASY, UM, TO DO. UM, INCENTIVES ARE IMPORTANT MEANS OF ACCOMMODATING THAT. LET'S SAY JUST FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, THAT PERHAPS YOU WANTED TO PROMOTE ATTAINABLE HOUSING. SO WE COULD INCLUDE SOME, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO DO THAT. THAT'S OPEN FOR YOU GUYS, THE COMMUNITY TO FIGURE OUT. BUT LOTS OF COMMUNITIES ARE LOOKING FOR THAT KIND OF THING. WE COULD INCLUDE SOME INCENTIVES IN THE DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS THAT CREATE, UH, BENEFITS FOR DEVELOPERS WHO WANT TO PROPOSE ATTAINABLE OR AFFORDABLE OR WORKFORCE HOUSING AS PART OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT. MAYBE EXTRA DENSITY, MAYBE SOME RELIEF FROM SOME PARKING OR OPEN SPACE REQUIREMENTS, MAYBE SOME OTHER INCENTIVES. THE POINT IS WE FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR HERE IN NEW BERN? AND THEN WE MAKE THAT EASY AND WE, UH, WE KIND OF DOUBLE DOWN AND INCLUDE SOME INCENTIVES FOR IT. FLEXIBILITY IS ALSO IMPORTANT. OKAY? THIS IS A MATURE COMMUNITY. I KNOW YOU GUYS KNOW THAT. UM, WATTS THAT ARE STILL VACANT IN MATURE COMMUNITIES ARE HARD TO DEVELOP. OKAY? THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THEM. THEY'RE NOT EASY TO DEVELOP. IF THEY WERE EASY TO DEVELOP, THEY'VE BEEN DEVELOPED ALREADY. FLEXIBILITY IN YOUR DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT TO HELP YOU GUYS ENSURE COMPACT DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS TO AVOID SPOTTY VACANT LOTS IN AREAS WHERE YOU'VE ALREADY MADE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT. OKAY? SO IMPORTANT SAFETY VALVE TO INCLUDE IN THE DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS IS FLEXIBILITY. FLEXIBILITY AND DIMENSIONAL STANDARDS, FLEXIBILITY AND HOW YOU COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS, UH, ET CETERA. WE ARE LOOKING TO RAISE THE BAR FOR DEVELOPMENT QUALITY IN SOME PLACES, AND I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT. BUT THINK OF THAT AS MAKING SURE THAT NEW BERN IS AN ATTRACTIVE PLACE. WE HAVE LOTS OF CLIENTS NOW WHO ARE LOOKING AT THE INTANGIBLES OF, OF PLACE, OF COMMUNITY AS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY. HOW DO WE ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENTED WORKFORCE? WELL, ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE DO THAT IS BY HAVING A WIDE RANGE OF USES THAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR. AND WE ALSO WANT A COMMUNITY THAT'S VERY ATTRACTIVE. AND YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A BEAUTIFUL JOB. CERTAINLY NEW BERN IS AN INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL PLACE, RIGHT? DOWNTOWN IS WONDERFUL OUT OF THE PERIPHERY. YEAH, WE GOT A LITTLE BIT MORE HEAVY LIFTING TO DO OUT THERE. SO MAYBE THERE'S SOME, SOME, SOME TWEAKS AND SOME CHANGES THAT WE CAN DO TO RAISE DEVELOPMENT QUALITY IN YOUR PERIPHERAL AREAS, UH, WHERE THAT'S APPROPRIATE. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS, UM, YOU GUYS KNOW FULL WELL, UH, CLIMATE IS CHANGING, LIKE IT OR NOT. UM, WE ARE LIVING IN, IN SOME DIFFERENT TIMES. UH, AND WE'VE GOT SOME DIFFERENT CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING. AND TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS MORE RESOURCE EFFICIENT, LOWER ECOLO ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT. UH, MORE RESPECTFUL OF WATER AND LIVING WITH WATER. UH, 'CAUSE THESE ARE IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF WHERE YOU GUYS LIVE, FIRE, UM, ET CETERA. BRINGING THOSE KINDS OF ASPECTS INTO YOUR DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS IN PURSUIT OF MORE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS. OKAY? MORE HOUSING OPTIONS. UM, AND JESS MENTIONED THIS. THERE ARE, UM, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE IN A HOUSING CRISIS. YOU HAVE TO BE UNDER A ROCK TO NOT KNOW THAT. I THINK WE ARE OVER A MILLION UNITS DOWN IN NORTH CAROLINA ALONE. UM, WHEN YOU CONSTRAIN HOUSING, SUPPLY PRICES GO UP AND WHEN PRICES GO UP, PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD HOUSING. AND WHEN PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD HOUSING, BAD THINGS HAPPEN IN THE COMMUNITY. SO FOCUSING ON THAT, PROVIDING SOME MORE OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE. ALSO, PEOPLE'S PREFERENCES ARE CHANGING. OKAY? NOT EVERYBODY WANTS A, AN ACRE LOT WITH A PICKET FENCE AND TWO AND A HALF KIDS AND A DOG, OKAY? IT'S NOT LIKE THAT ANYMORE. NOW WE WANT ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS AND GRANNY FLATS AND DUPLEXES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR RENTAL STREAMS AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S GETTING ON THE AIRBNB TRAIN. ALL OF THAT STUFF THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH AND INCORPORATE THE REGULATION. SO ADDRESSING SOME OF THE HOUSING OPTIONS THAT ARE HERE, CREATING SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE DEVELOPMENT. ANOTHER PROJECT GOAL. FINALLY MODERNIZING THE LAND USES, RIGHT? UM, CAT CAFE. YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT THAT IS, RIGHT? MM. NO. IN NOR THEY'RE EVERYWHERE NOW. YEAH. YEAH. SO YOU GO, YOU, YOU GO AND, AND HAVE A BEER AND THE CATS ARE JUST THERE. AND IF YOU'D LIKE TO ADOPT A CAT, WELL, THAT'D BE FABULOUS. OKAY, WELL, WHAT IS THAT? IS THAT AN ANIMAL SHELTER? IS IT A BAR? WHAT IS IT? WELL, IT'S A CAT CAFE, BUT THAT'S JUST, THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW? UH, EVENT CENTERS, COWORKING, UH, MICRO RETAIL, [00:25:01] UH, BUSINESS INCUBATORS, MAKERSPACE, ON AND ON AND ON AND ON. NEW USES ALL THE TIME. THEY'RE NOT IN YOUR CODE. SO HOW DO WE ACCOMMODATE THEM? WHAT ARE THE PARKING STANDARDS? WHAT ARE THE LANDSCAPE STANDARDS? HOW, WHAT USE OR WHAT DISTRICTS ARE THEY PERMITTED IN? UM, SO GETTING SOME CLARITY ON THAT AND A BETTER PROCESS FOR ORGANIZING AND CATEGORIZING NEW USES THAT WE HAVEN'T EVEN HEARD OF YET, THAT YOU DON'T HAVE NOW. UM, BRINGING THAT KIND OF FORWARD LOOKING PROVISION INTO THE ORDINANCE TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER IN THE FUTURE. OKAY, SO THOSE ARE SOME PROJECT GOALS, QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? OKAY. WORK PROGRAM. WE'VE GOT A 24 MONTH WORK PROGRAM. UM, COURTNEY AND I WERE HERE, MAY WAS IT MAY, I DON'T REMEMBER. MAY EARLIER. WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR THE PROJECT INITIATION. WE HAVE DONE A CODE ASSESSMENT, WHICH WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT TONIGHT. THE NEXT STEP IS THE ANNOTATED OUTLINE. WE ARE WORKING ON THAT NOW. UH, AND WE'LL BE HERE NEXT MONTH TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE ANNOTATED OUTLINE. ONLY AFTER THOSE THREE THINGS ARE DONE. AND WE'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK THAT STUFF OVER WITH THE COMMUNITY WHEN WE ENTER INTO THE DRAFTING PROCESS. OKAY? UM, WE'RE MAKING ABOUT 13 TRIPS HERE. THERE'S 12 TASKS IN THE WORK PROGRAM. WE'VE GOT SEVEN STEERING COMMITTEE MEETINGS, FOUR PUBLIC FORUMS. AS I MENTIONED BEFORE. EVERY TIME WE COME TO TOWN, WE DO OFFICE HOURS. UH, WE ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN HAVING SOME FOCUS GROUPS OR ROUND TABLES WITH PERHAPS THE DOWNTOWN RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS OWNERS. PERHAPS THE, THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY. MAYBE THERE'S OTHER GROUPS TOO THAT, THAT WE CAN AND SHOULD MEET WITH. AND WE ARE VERY MUCH ON BOARD WITH SPENDING TIME WITH THOSE GROUPS AS PART OF THIS PROCESS. AND THIS IS THE FIRST OF SEVERAL OTHER PUBLIC FORUMS THAT WE'LL BE DOING AS WE MOVE ALONG. UM, I WANNA MENTION TESTING. THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS. AFTER WE'VE GOTTEN KIND OF A REVISED DRAFT OF THE LUO, WE WILL TEST IT, UH, WITH THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY AND SEE HOW IT WORKS. KICK THE TIRES IF YOU WILL. UM, IF THAT GOES TO PLAN. AND, AND IT WILL. AND THERE'LL BE SOME CHANGES. 'CAUSE THERE ALWAYS ARE. UM, WE'LL MAKE SOME REVISIONS AND THEN GO THROUGH THE ADOPTION PROCESS. THE PROCEDURES MANUAL IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT PART OF THIS, OKAY? SO WE'RE NOT JUST UPDATING YOUR LUO, WE ARE ALSO PREPARING SOME NEW APPLICATION FORMS FOR YOU WITH NEW SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS AND MORE DETAIL AND RESOURCES FOR APPLICANTS TO MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS. AGAIN, IN PURSUIT OF A USER-FRIENDLY ORDINANCE, THAT'S MORE FAIR AND MORE PREDICTABLE, RIGHT? OKAY. THE CODE ASSESSMENT, THIS IS BASICALLY THREE THINGS, OKAY? IT'S A REVIEW OF YOUR POLICY GUIDANCE. REMEMBER I SAID A MINUTE AGO, YOU'RE A CAMERA COMMUNITY. YOU'VE GOT A LAND USE PLAN. 'CAUSE THE STATE MAKES YOU HAVE ONE OF THOSE. THAT'S GREAT. UM, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE A LOT OF OTHER PLANNING DOCUMENTS TOO. UM, THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF PLANS AND STUDIES FOR DOWNTOWN AND OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY. JUST A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF, OF LAND USE POLICY GUIDANCE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE. AND WE'VE SYNTHESIZED THAT AND TRIED TO MAKE SOME SENSE OF IT. UM, FOUND OUT WHERE IT CONFLICTED, UM, AND TRIED TO FIND SOME PATTERNS IN THE RECOMMENDATIONS. THE REVIEW OF THAT POLICY GUIDANCE IS INSIDE THIS DOCUMENT. AND BY THE WAY, YOU REMEMBER THE WEBSITE, RIGHT? WWW.RE-NEWBURN.COM. THIS DOCUMENT IS THERE, UH, FOR YOU TO REVIEW. NOW, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE DO AN EXHAUSTIVE REVIEW OF THE CURRENT LUO. UM, SO WE'VE GONE THROUGH SECTION BY SECTION LOOKING AT YOUR CURRENT REGULATION, WHAT'S IN THERE AND HOW, AND IN WHAT WAYS WOULD WE SUGGEST IT BE REVISED, UM, IN LIGHT OF PROJECT GOALS, IN LIGHT OF POLICY GUIDANCE, IN LIGHT OF BEST PRACTICE, UM, IN OTHER COMMUNITIES IN THE STATE. SO WE'VE GOT ABOUT 90 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE CODE ASSESSMENT. THEY'RE ORGANIZED IN EIGHT DIFFERENT KEY THEMES, AND I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THOSE RIGHT NOW. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS SO FAR? NOPE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO, AGAIN, EIGHT KEY THEMES. EACH KEY THEME HAS 7, 8, 10 RECOMMENDATIONS IN IT. I'M NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT ALL OF THEM 'CAUSE WE'D BE HERE ALL NIGHT. UM, BUT I WILL COVER SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR YOU GUYS. SO YOU'VE HEARD ME SAY A COUPLE OF TIMES AND JUST SAY, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THE REGULATIONS MORE USER FRIENDLY. HOW ARE WE GONNA DO THAT? WELL, FIRST THING WE'RE DOING IS SUGGESTING THAT THE CITY SELF CODIFY, ITS LUO, WHICH YOU DO NOT DO NOW. UH, YOU USE AN OUTSIDE COMPANY, YOU PAY $20,000, $30,000 A YEAR FOR THAT SERVICE. UM, YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO THAT. STAFF CAN CODIFY YOUR ORDINANCE BY THEMSELVES WITH SOFTWARE THAT THEY ALREADY OWN, UH, AND ALREADY KNOW HOW TO USE. THE PROBLEM [00:30:01] IS YOUR CURRENT LUO ISN'T STRUCTURED PROPERLY TO ALLOW YOU GUYS TO DO THAT EFFECTIVELY, EFFICIENTLY. SO WE'RE GONNA MAKE THAT CHANGE SO THAT YOU GUYS CAN KEEP THE DOCUMENT YOURSELF. THAT MEANS FASTER AMENDMENTS ARE POSTED, UH, AND WILL ALLOW YOU TO HAVE THIS MORE ROBUST DOCUMENT FORMAT, KIND OF LIKE WHAT YOU SEE HERE ON THE SCREEN, OKAY? WITH DYNAMIC HEADERS AND DYNAMIC FOOTERS AND IMAGERY AND WHITE SPACE AND INDENTATION, AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT MAKE A PAGE ON A CODE EASIER TO FOLLOW, MORE INTERESTING TO READ, OKAY? NAVIGATION AIDS, WE REALLY TRY TO COME IN AND REPLACE PROS WITH NUMBERED STATEMENTS. ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT PARTS OF DEVELOPMENT CODES IS WHEN ATTORNEYS, AND BY THE WAY, I'M NOT AN ATTORNEY, UM, WHEN ATTORNEYS WRITE PARAGRAPHS OF DETAILED TEXT THAT YOU HAVE TO UNWIND TO GET TO FOR SENTENCE BY SENTENCE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THAT PARAGRAPH SAYS, OKAY? THAT'S NOT THE WAY TO DO IT. THE WAY TO DO IT IS SHORT NUMBERED STATEMENTS THAT ARE, THAT HAVE INDEPENDENT CONCRETE IDEAS, UM, INSTEAD OF ASKING SOMEBODY TO, TO GRASP, UNDERSTAND, AND THEN PICK APART A, A 12 OR 13 SENTENCE PARAGRAPH. OKAY? SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT THING THAT WE'D LIKE TO BRING TO THESE. UM, A LOT OF USE OF SUMMARY TABLES. UH, YOU HAVE A USE TABLE. NOW, UM, WE ARE BIG BELIEVERS IN TABLES. UH, YOU SHOULD EXPECT TO SEE, YOU KNOW, ANYWHERE FROM 70 TO 80 SUMMARY TABLES IN YOUR DOCUMENTS, OKAY? NOT JUST THE USE TABLES, BUT HOW WE HANDLE PROCEDURES, HOW WE, UH, CLASSIFY AND PRESENT DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS. UM, IT'S A WHOLE LOT EASIER AND MORE EFFICIENT FOR THOSE TO BE IN SUMMARY TABLES. SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT THING THAT WE DO. ONE LAST THING I'LL MENTION ON THIS SUBJECT IS THE INCLUSION OF CLEAR MEASURABLE. AND TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN DO SO QUANTIFIABLE REVIEW CRITERIA, OKAY? SO THAT DECISION PROCESSES ARE BASED ON CLEAR MEASURABLE STANDARDS, OKAY? AND QUANTIFIABLE WHEN WE CAN MAKE THEM SO, SO THAT IT'S NOT JUST, OH, HOW THE STAFF'S FEELING THAT DAY OR SOME OTHER ISSUE. UM, YOU'RE USING CODIFIED RULES THAT ARE DRAFTED FOR EVERYBODY TO READ. SO WE TREAT EVERYBODY THE SAME. OKAY? GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION, EXCUSE ME, PLEASE. IS THAT A SOFTWARE THAT THEY HAVE TO PURCHASE? IS IT SOMETHING THAT THEY USE? MICROSOFT WORD? I MEAN WHAT WHAT IT IS? MICROSOFT WORD. OKAY? IT ABSOLUTELY IS MICROSOFT WORD AND A-A-P-D-F APPLICATION. OKAY? YOU COULD USE FOXIT, YOU COULD USE ADOBE DISTILLER. UM, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE COMMONLY AVAILABLE OFF THE SHELF PRODUCTS. OKAY? UM, AND YEAH, THERE, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING. UM, UNFORTUNATELY THE CURRENT DOCUMENT DOESN'T, IT WASN'T SET UP TO ALLOW STAFF TO MAINTAIN IT. UH, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SOME SUGGESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO IMPROVE THAT. OKAY? GRAPHIC COMMUNICATIONS, NEW PAGE LAYOUT, MORE GRAPHICS. ALRIGHT, SO I'LL JUST TELL YOU OFF THE BAT, YOU SHOULD BE EXPECTING THREE TO 400 GRAPHICS IN THE CODE. UM, AND RIGHT NOW I THINK YOU MAYBE HAVE ABOUT 50, WHICH IS PRETTY GOOD ACTUALLY FOR A DEVELOPMENT CODE. UM, BUT WE WANT TO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE THAT. WE INCLUDE PROCEDURAL FLOW CHARTS, EACH AND EVERY DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCEDURE THAT'S IN THE CODE. AND THERE'S ABOUT 30 SOME, UH, WILL BE SUPPLEMENTED WITH A STEP BY STEP PROCEDURAL FLOW CHART THAT DETAILS. HERE'S THE PROCESS TO WHAT YOU DO TO MOVE THROUGH THE APPLICATION PROCESS. UM, RULES OF MEASUREMENT, RIGHT? HOW DO YOU MEASURE BUILDING HEIGHT? IT, IT SOUNDS SILLY AND MUNDANE, BUT MOST OF THE LAWSUITS THAT HAPPEN ON DEVELOPMENT CODES STEM FROM MEASUREMENT PROBLEMS AND DISAGREEMENT ABOUT HOW YOU MEASURE STUFF. FOR EXAMPLE, I'VE GOT A TRIANGULAR SHAPED LOT. WHAT'S THE REAR LOT LINE ON A TRIANGULAR SHAPED LOT? HOPEFULLY IT'S IN THE CODE, RIGHT? THOSE KINDS OF PROVISIONS ARE WHAT WE LIKE TO INCLUDE IN OUR RULES OF MEASUREMENT AND SUPPLEMENT THEM WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. UM, PRECEDENT IMAGERY FOR ZONING STANDARDS. YOU KNOW, IF WE'VE GOT A RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICT OR MIXED USE RE ZONE, A MIXED USE ZONING DISTRICT, WE WANT TO HAVE SOME IMAGES IN YOUR CODE ABOUT THE KINDS OF DEVELOPMENT THAT ARE APPROPRIATE IN THOSE ZONING DISTRICTS. OKAY? THIS IS KIND OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THIS IS KIND OF HOW IT FEELS. IT GIVES PEOPLE A SENSE OF THE KIND OF DEVELOPMENT THAT COULD BE BUILT UNDER A PARTICULAR ZONING DISTRICT DESIGNATION. WE ILLUSTRATE THE DESIGN STANDARDS THAT WE PREPARE, UM, AND WE PROVIDE DETAILS FOR A VARIETY OF THINGS LIKE PARKING AND LANDSCAPING AND FENCING AND LIGHTING. AGAIN, JUST HOW YOU MEET THE STANDARDS. UM, OTHER [00:35:01] CONFIGURATIONS THAT DON'T MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS. SO THINK IMAGES THAT SAY DO THIS, DON'T DO THIS. UM, SO THAT THERE'S CLARITY ABOUT WHAT NOT TO DO IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE'D LIKE YOU TO DO. OKAY? EFFICIENT DEVELOPMENT REVIEW. YOU GUYS ARE NOTICING SOME PATTERNS IN, IN WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AND THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE. UM, A UNIFORM PROCEDURAL STRUCTURE. OKAY? I MENTIONED BEFORE THERE'S ABOUT 30 TO 35 PROCEDURES IN THE NEW LUO. SOME YOU HAVE NOW, SOME WERE CODIFYING BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT CODIFIED IN YOUR CURRENT ORDINANCE. A COMMUNITY OF THIS SIZE ABOUT 30 DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCEDURES IS ABOUT RIGHT. OKAY? AND THIS UNIFORM PROCEDURAL STRUCTURE MEANS, RIGHT, THAT YOU'VE GOT PURPOSE AND INTENT APPLICABILITY. WHO MAKES THE DECISION? WHAT ARE THE REVIEW CRITERIA THAT THEY FOLLOW? OKAY? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE DECISION'S BEEN MADE? HOW DO I APPEAL? HOW DO I AMEND? DOES IT EXPIRE? AND IF SO, WHEN, WHAT ARE THE VESTING RULES? HOW DO I APPEAL? THOSE KINDS OF QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED FOR EACH AND EVERY PROCEDURE. OKAY? BIG SUPPLEMENTS ON INTENT STATEMENTS. ALL ZONING DISTRICTS HAVE INTENT STATEMENTS. ALL PROCEDURES HAVE INTENT STATEMENTS. ALL SETS OF DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS HAVE INTENT STATEMENTS WE'RE VERY, VERY CLEAR TO THE APPLICANT, TO THE CODE READER, TO THE JUDGE. THESE WERE THE CITY'S INTENT IN ADOPTING THESE REGULATIONS. OKAY? MORE CLARITY ON EXEMPTIONS, RIGHT? IF I SAID TO YOU, WHAT KINDS OF DEVELOPMENT IN NEW BERN HAVE TO GET A SITE PLAN, COULD YOU ANSWER THAT QUESTION QUICKLY AND EASILY? PROBABLY NOT. UH, 'CAUSE IT'S NOT EXACTLY AS CLEAR AS IT NEEDS TO BE. SO BEING CLEAR ABOUT WHO HAS TO GET A BUILDING PERMIT AND WHO DOESN'T, WHO HAS TO GET A ZONING PERMIT AND WHO DOESN'T? WHO HAS TO GO THROUGH SITE PLAN AND WHO DOESN'T? OKAY? SO THAT, THAT'S CLEAR IN THE DEVELOPMENT CODE. COMPREHENSIVE CONFLICT STANDARDS, OKAY? LIKE THE RULES OF MEASUREMENT. ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS IS WHEN THEY CONFLICT WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND BELIEVE ME, THEY DO. UM, YOUR DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS WILL HAVE SOME CONFLICTS INTERNAL TO THEM. THERE WILL BE SOME CONFLICTS BETWEEN THE DEVELOPMENT CODE PROVISIONS AND YOUR POLICY GUIDANCE. THERE'S GONNA BE SOME CONFLICTS BETWEEN THE DEVELOPMENT CODE AND YOUR CITY CODE. AND THAT'S INEVITABLE AND IT'S NORMAL. AND THAT'S WHY WE INCLUDE A SECTION ON HOW DO WE MANAGE CONFLICT WHEN THAT COMES UP. OKAY? SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS EFFICIENT AND, AND KIND OF PREDICTABLE REVIEW PROCESS. UM, INSTITUTING PRE-APPLICATION CONFERENCES AND BEING MORE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT WHEN PRE-APPLICATION CONFERENCES ARE REQUIRED AND WHEN THEY'RE SIMPLY MADE AVAILABLE. OKAY? BUT PRE-APPLICATION CONFERENCES ARE KEY TO AN EFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESS. IF YOU'VE GOT MONEY ON THE LINE AND YOU'VE GOT A BANK NOTE THAT IS, THAT IS, YOU KNOW, EARNED, THAT'S CHARGING YOU INTEREST, THAT DON'T HAVE TIME TO MESS AROUND. AND SO WE WANT TO HAVE A PRE-APPLICATION CONFERENCE AND A, AND A A A KIND OF A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY OR APPROACH TO MOVE DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS THROUGH THE PROCESS QUICKLY, EASILY. AND WITHOUT SURPRISE. PRE-APPLICATION CONFERENCES ARE A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THAT, UM, CLARIFICATION ABOUT ALL OF THE VESTING RULES. UM, CAROLINA LAW HAS SOME VERY COMPLEX AND ANTIQUATED PROVISIONS THAT PROTECT DEVELOPMENT APPROVALS FROM CHANGES IN THE RULES. AND SO WE WANNA BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT HOW THAT WORKS SO THAT DEVELOPERS WHO ARE DOING BIG PROJECTS UNDERSTAND THE RULES OF THE GAME. A COUPLE OTHER THINGS I'LL MENTION. ONE, RE REDUCING RELIANCE ON SPECIAL USE PERMITS. OKAY? UM, A SPECIAL USE PERMIT IS A QUASI-JUDICIAL PROCESS. UH, IT'S VERY LEGALLY FRAUGHT. IT'S POTENTIALLY LEGALLY DANGEROUS FOR THE CITY. AND BY THE WAY, IF A USE IS PERMITTED AS A SPECIAL USE PERMIT, IT IS, UM, PRESUMPTIVELY VALID. IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S ALLOWED IN THE ZONING DISTRICT. OKAY? SO YOU CAN'T SAY NO TO SOMETHING THAT'S GOT A SPECIAL USE PERMIT. IF IT MEETS THE STANDARDS, YOU MUST PROVE IT. ALRIGHT? SO THAT'S NOT GREAT. WE NEED STANDARDS FOR THESE KINDS OF THINGS. BUT LET'S LOOK FOR OTHER WAYS TO, TO HANDLE THESE KINDS OF APPLICATIONS THAT AREN'T SO BUREAUCRATIC, THAT AREN'T SO EXPENSIVE, THAT DON'T TAKE SO LONG THAT AREN'T SO LEGALLY FRAUGHT FOR THE CITY. OKAY? MORE DETAIL ON PHASING AND SEQUENCING. OKAY? 'CAUSE SOME OF THESE APPLICATIONS HAVE MULTIPLE PARTS THAT REQUIRE MULTIPLE PERMITS THAT ALL HAVE TO BE SEQUENCED AND BEING CLEAR ABOUT HOW THAT WORKS. AND CAN I GET A GRADING PERMIT BEFORE I GET A SITE PLAN APPROVAL? AND WHAT ABOUT MY FINAL PLAT? AND WHEN DO I HAVE TO DO THE EROSION CONTROL PLAN? CLAR CLARITY ABOUT HOW THAT WORKS FOR EVERYBODY. UM, FINALLY I'LL JUST MENTION ONE MORE TIME THAT PROCEDURES MANUAL, WHICH WILL HELP WITH A LOT OF THESE QUESTIONS, UH, AND DETAILS. OKAY? [00:40:01] ALRIGHT. HOPEFULLY THE, THE, THE SENSE THAT I'D LIKE TO LEAVE YOU WITH ON THIS PROCEDURAL THING IS WE'VE BEEN THERE, WE'VE DONE THIS A LOT, AND WE HAVE, UH, I I HOPE THAT WE'VE SOLVED A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS THAT SOME OF YOUR SISTER COMMUNITIES HAVE EXPERIENCED. AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN BRING TO YOU GUYS AND MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER. YOUR STAFF'S LIFE. BETTER DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITIES, LIFE BETTER, THE RESIDENTS LIFE BETTER. OKAY? INCENTIVES AND FLEXIBILITY. I TALKED ABOUT THIS A MINUTE AGO. UM, AN ADMINISTRATIVE ADJUSTMENT PROCESS THAT ALLOWS STAFF TO MAKE SOME VERY MINOR DE MINIMUS CHANGES, UM, ON DIFFICULT SITES WHERE IT'S NECESSARY SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH A VARIANCE PROCESS. UM, A TIERED APPROACH TO CONDITIONAL ZONING. RIGHT NOW YOU'RE USING A PLAN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. UM, WE WANT TO SUGGEST SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THAT USE OF A CONDITIONAL ZONING PROCESS THAT IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE POWERFUL, A LITTLE BIT MORE ROBUST. UM, THERE'S A LIMITED OPTION AND AN UNLIMITED OPTION. THE UNLIMITED OPTION IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE CURRENT PLAN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. BUT ONE BIG DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE CONDITIONAL REZONING PROCESS RELIES ON THE LEGISLATIVE DISCRETION OF THE ELECTED OFFICIALS. THAT GIVES THEM A LOT MORE LEEWAY IN DECIDING UP OR DOWN, OR THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'D LIKE YOU TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PROPOSAL. OKAY? SO IF YOU'RE GONNA COME TO THE CITY AND WANT AN UNLIMITED CONDITIONAL ZONING, YOU BETTER BE READY TO PUT YOUR BEST OFFER ON THE TABLE. OKAY? AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GONNA BE DOING THAT WILL BRING THEIR BEST OFFER. WE JUST HAVE TO BE CLEAR WITH THEM ABOUT WHAT THE EXPECTATION IS. ALRIGHT? BROADENING THE FEE IN LIE, UM, THE STANDARDS WILL INCLUDE OR REQUIRE OPEN SPACE. THEY'LL REQUIRE LANDSCAPING AND PARKING AND OTHER THINGS. UM, ON SMALL SITES, IN DOWNTOWNS, IN MATURE COMMUNITIES. THAT STUFF CAN BE A CHALLENGE TO ADDRESS. UM, AND THERE'S, BUT, BUT SHOULD THE CITY GO WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, SHOULD THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY SUFFER BECAUSE SOMEBODY'S GOT A SMALL SITE IN THE DOWNTOWN? NO. SO HOW DO WE RECONCILE THOSE THINGS? FEE IN LIE IS ONE OPTION. WE COLLECT FUNDS FROM SITES THAT MAYBE CAN'T PHYSICALLY PROVIDE A FEATURE. UM, WE TAKE THAT MONEY AND WE APPLY THAT TO SOME OTHER CITY FUNCTION. MAYBE IT'S OPEN SPACE, MAYBE IT'S SIDEWALKS, MAYBE IT'S TREES, WHATEVER. IT'S OKAY. POSSIBILITY OF DENSITY, BONUSES FOR RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. EVERYBODY WANTS HIGHER QUALITY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. EVERYBODY DOES. OKAY? THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DOESN'T LET US REQUIRE HIGH QUALITY RESIDENTIAL ANYMORE. THEY'VE TAKEN DESIGN STANDARDS OFF THE TABLE FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA. WE HAVE SOME INCENTIVE BASED APPROACHES. WE HAVE SOME VOLUNTARY APPROACHES, SOME OPTIONAL THINGS. AND WE ENCOURAGE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THAT IN PURSUIT OF HIGHER QUALITY RESIDENTIAL. OKAY. MENU BASED DESIGN STANDARDS, GIVING APPLICANTS A CHOICE. OKAY? THERE'S SEVEN DESIGN STANDARDS FOR A COMMERCIAL BUILDING. PICK THREE. WE DON'T CARE WHICH THREE YOU DECIDE, BUT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THREE. OH, YOU WANT TO HAVE FOUR? GREAT. LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME INCENTIVES FOR MAYBE YOU INCLUDING MORE STANDARDS THAN WHAT THE MINIMUM THRESHOLDS ARE SO THAT THERE'S SOME NEGOTIATION AND SOME INCENTIVE FOR MAKING HIGHER QUALITY DEVELOPMENT. COULD YOU, COULD YOU REPEAT THAT AGAIN? THE, THE CHOICES OF THOSE VOTES? SURE. TALK ABOUT LIKE, LIKE HOW WE STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO CONTROL DESIGN, BECAUSE THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT THE CITY IS DOING RIGHT NOW. AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE LEVEL OF COMFORT IS, BUT WHEN YOU SAY THE MENU PLAY, I TALK ABOUT THE THINGS THAT ARE COMMONLY IN THERE OKAY. THAT WE LIKE TO SEE IN MORE ATTRACTIVE COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS. SURE. AND LIKE HE SAID, WE USED TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE AESTHETICS OF, OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. THEY TOOK THAT AWAY YEARS AGO. SO ANYTHING OVER TWO, POSSIBLY AT SOME 0.3 OR FOUR UNITS, WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THAT. RIGHT? WE CAN STILL YEAH. THAT RELATIVELY RECENT. UM, BUT THERE ARE WAYS TO GET AND ENCOURAGE MORE ATTRACTIVE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS, BUT THERE ARE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THAT'S RIGHT. THAT GET PASSED ON TO WHOEVER'S DEVELOPING THE BUILDING. AND THIS AGAIN, IS, IS ONE OF THOSE BALANCE THINGS. HOW IMPORTANT IS, UM, KEEPING COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AFFORDABLE VERSUS MAKING COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT ATTRACTIVE? AND JUST, JUST ELABORATE. SURE, SURE. GLAD TO. BECAUSE IT'S FINDING NEW HERE. BEFORE I DO, LET ME JUST SAY TO YOU THAT THESE SUGGESTIONS THAT WE'RE MAKING THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE JUST THAT THEY'RE RECOMMENDATIONS. WE'RE NOT MARRIED TO THIS. UM, IF, YOU KNOW, NEW BERN AS A COMMUNITY DECIDES, MY GOSH, THAT'S A BRIDGE TOO FAR AND WE DON'T WANT TO SEE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT PUT AT A DISADVANTAGE IN THE NAME OF, UM, YOU KNOW, AESTHETICS, THEN THAT'S FINE. AND WE DON'T NEED TO INCLUDE THOSE KINDS OF PROVISIONS. FOUR COMMUNITIES THAT DO WANT THAT. PS BY THE WAY, YOU KNOW, THE HISTORIC DISTRICT IS THE HISTORIC DISTRICT AND THOSE STANDARDS STAY ALRIGHT, THAT'S NOT GONNA BE AFFECTED BY THIS. BUT OUTSIDE OF THAT, IF THERE'S COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT THAT THE CITY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SOME, SOME DESIGN CONTROL [00:45:01] OVER OR SOME SOME HIGHER CALIBER DESIGN STANDARDS, LEMME GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES OF THE THINGS THAT ARE COMMON. MASSING AND ARTICULATION SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE LONG MONOLITHIC UNIFORM BUILDING WALLS THAT DON'T HAVE ANY INTEREST ON THEM. OKAY? SO THERE'S NO WINDOWS, THERE'S NO, UH, IN AND OUT OF THE BUILDING WALL. IT'S A VERY PLAIN VANILLA WALL. AND IT'S ONE THING TO HAVE THOSE ON THE BACKS OF BUILDINGS OR EVEN ON THE SIDES OF BUILDINGS, BUT ON THE FRONTS OF BUILDINGS, MAYBE THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT. ANOTHER GREAT EXAMPLE IS MATERIALS. OKAY? AND IT'S NOT, WE TELL YOU WHAT MATERIALS TO USE, RATHER, WE TELL YOU WHAT MATERIALS NOT TO USE. LIKE COATED TIN, SMOOTH PHASE, CONCRETE BLOCK, PLYWOOD, PERHAPS VINYL FOR A NON-RESIDENTIAL BUILDING MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD SAY, UH, THANKS, BUT NO THANKS. SO THERE'S ANOTHER EXAMPLE. UM, ENTRANCE FEATURES. MAYBE YOU WANT TO HAVE A COMMERCIAL, A SET OF COMMERCIAL STANDARDS THAT MAKE IT EASY FOR A PEDESTRIAN OR A PERSON GETTING OUT OF THEIR CAR TO KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THE ENTRANCE TO THE BUILDING IS. OKAY? THINK ABOUT THAT THE NEXT TIME YOU'RE OUT SHOPPING. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE ENTRANCE TO THE BUILDING IS? THERE'S VERY SUBTLE CLUES THERE, RIGHT? SOMETIMES IT'S A VERTICAL PROJECTION, SOMETIMES IT'S A BREAK IN THE BUILDING WALL. SOMETIMES IT'S HOW THE LANDSCAPE IS ORGANIZED AROUND THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING OR WHERE THE SIGN IS. JUST THINK ABOUT IT. UM, THE NEXT TIME YOU'RE OUT. 'CAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS. RETAILERS WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW TO GET TO THE FRONT DOOR. THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. WE CAN BUILD ON THAT AND WORK WITH SOME OF THOSE PROVISIONS AND ASK THEM TO RAISE THE BAR. MAYBE WE SAY, GIVE ME SOME, UH, SHADE PROTECTION OR SOME RAIN PROTECTION ALONG THE FRONT FACADE. GIVE ME SOME SEATING, UH, APPROXIMATE TO THE ENTRANCE. MAKE YOUR BUILDING NICER. UH, WHETHER THAT'S MATERIALS OR SOME KIND OF ARCHITECTURAL FEATURE. AND AGAIN, IT'S ALL ABOUT BALANCE. YOU GUYS DECIDE, EH, THAT'S TOO, THAT'S TOO FAR FOR US, OR WE DON'T WANT TO GO THERE. WELL, THAT'S FINE. OR YOU COULD DO 'EM AS INCENTIVES. HEY, IF YOU DO, YOU KNOW, TWO OF THESE THINGS OR THREE OF THESE THINGS, THEN WE'LL ALLOW YOU SOMETHING ELSE, RIGHT? MAYBE WE WILL ALLOW YOU TO REDUCE THE REQUIRED PARKING. MAYBE WE WILL ALLOW YOU TO HAVE LESS LANDSCAPING. THINGS LIKE THAT. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? DOES THAT HELP? OKAY. WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU GUYS TO, TO EMBRACE CONSERVATION SUBDIVISIONS. UM, A CONSERVATION SUBDIVISION IS A DEVELOPMENT THAT ALLOWS SMALLER, LOTS, SMALLER SETBACKS, OKAY? AND IN TRADE FOR SMALLER LOTS AND SMALLER SETBACKS, MORE OF THE LAND AREA IS SET ASIDE AS AN OPEN SPACE FOREVER. OKAY? AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT SOCCER FIELDS OR PLAYGROUNDS. I'M TALKING ABOUT, IT'S JUST LEFT BLOWN WETLANDS, FORESTS, WHATEVER. UM, YOU STAY OUT OF ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS. WE ALLOW PEOPLE TO HAVE SMALLER LOTS AND SMALLER SETBACKS SO THAT THEY CAN EFFECTIVELY DO THAT WHILE AT THE SAME TIME CAPTURING THE SAME YIELD THAT THEY WOULD'VE GOTTEN FROM LAYING OUT ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE. OKAY? SO NOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND AS MUCH ON ROADS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND AS MUCH ON WATER AND SEWER LINES. IT'S A LITTLE EASIER TO SERVE THOSE USES WITH EMERGENCY SERVICES AND TRA YOU KNOW, TRASH AND OTHER KINDS OF CITY SERVICE THINGS. THE LAST THING WE WOULD SUGGEST WITH THESE CONSERVATION SUBDIVISIONS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE NOT EASILY SEEN FROM STREETS AND FROM ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE LOT SIZES ARE LARGER. OKAY? SO IN THE HOPES THAT YOU CAN'T SEE IT, MAYBE THAT HELPS MITIGATE SOME OF THE COMMON CONCERNS WE HEAR FROM NEIGHBORS. UM, ALSO PRESERVING, UM, SOILS THAT ARE MORE SUITABLE FOR AGRICULTURAL PLACES, RIGHT? SURE. ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. UM, YOU KNOW, MANUFACTURED HOUSING IS A GREAT CANDIDATE FOR A CONSERVATION SUBDIVISION. UM, THOSE ARE FOLKS WHO DON'T NECESSARILY WANT AN ACRE OF LAND. UM, THOSE ARE USES THAT MIGHT BENEFIT FROM BEING SCREENED FROM NEARBY ROADWAYS AND ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOODS. PEOPLE STILL NEED A PLACE TO LIVE. OKAY? BUT HOW DO WE ACCOMMODATE THAT IN RECOGNIZING EVERYBODY'S CONCERNS? SO CONSERVATION SUBDIVISION IMPORTANT KIND OF A THING. UM, WE WANT TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY OF SOFTENING SOME OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS FOR REDEVELOPMENT, OKAY? AGAIN, YOU'RE A MATURE COMMUNITY, YOU'VE GOT A VERY MATURE DOWNTOWN. UM, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO DEVELOP VACANT INFILL LOTS IN MATURE AREAS. WHEN YOU HAVE HEFTY INFRASTRUCTURE RETROFIT BILLS TO DEAL WITH AS PART OF REDEVELOPMENT, YOU'VE GOT THE LAND ASSEMBLY COSTS THAT YOU'VE GOTTA DEAL WITH. YOU'VE GOT THE INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS THAT YOU'VE GOTTA DEAL WITH. YOU'VE GOT THE TROUBLE FROM THE ADJACENT RESIDENCE. YOU DON'T WANT THAT TROUBLE. SO WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU GO OUT TO THE PERIPHERY, OKAY? AND WHAT YOU GET IS SUBURBAN SPRAWL. EVERYBODY [00:50:01] GOES OUT TO THE INLANDS INSTEAD OF DEVELOPING HERE IN TOWN WHERE WE WANT 'EM TO DEVELOP BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE WE SPENT THE MONEY FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE. OKAY? SO ENCOURAGING THAT, SIMPLIFYING THAT, AND, AND SUPPORTING INFILL AND REDEVELOPMENT VERY IMPORTANT STRATEGIES. THAT'S ABOUT IT FOR FLEXIBILITY AND INCENTIVES. GOOD QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT IS EVERYBODY, I, I REALIZE, YOU KNOW, THE PROOF'S IN THE PUDDING. YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OF THIS STUFF YET, BUT THAT, THAT'S SOME OF THE CONCEPTS. HOW DO WE KIND OF EASE THE DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'D LIKE TO HAVE, RIGHT? AND CREATE SOME FLEXIBILITY FOR THESE TOUGH SITES, RIGHT? OKAY. RAISING THE BAR FOR DEVELOPMENT DESIGN QUALITY. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A MODERN DEVELOPMENT CODE. OKAY? THIS IS WHAT YOUR CODE SHOULD LOOK LIKE. YOUR CODE DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THIS. IN CASE YOU WONDERING, UM, THERE SHOULD BE TABLES AND PICTURES AND CAPTIONS AND HEADERS AND FOOTERS AND STUFF. IT SHOULD BE INTERESTING TO LOOK AT. EASY TO UNDERSTAND YOU'RE NOT THERE, BUT WE'RE GONNA GET YOU THERE. UM, WHETHER OR NOT WE ADD RESIDENTIAL DESIGN GUIDELINES WILL BE A POLICY MATTER. THEY'RE GUIDELINES. THEY'RE NOT MANDATORY BECAUSE WE CAN'T MAKE THEM MANDATORY, OKAY? BUT WE CAN ADD SOME GUIDELINES AND SOME TOOLS THAT THE CITY CAN USE TO ENCOURAGE HIGH QUALITY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. UM, WE'LL INCLUDE SOME SPEC, SOME NEW SPECIFIC STANDARDS FOR MOST USE TIMES. OKAY? SO NOT SURE HOW MANY USES WE'LL WIND UP WITH. I THINK IT'S, IT'S NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE A HUNDRED, 110 USES IN A USE TABLE. UM, MAYBE 120, 130. I THINK YOU HAVE 200 AND SOME IN YOUR USE TABLE NOW. SO YOU, YOU MAKE SOME STRANGE DISTINCTIONS THAT MAYBE YOU DON'T NEED TO MAKE. WE WANT TO SIMPLIFY, STREAMLINE, MAKE THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE PREDICTABLE AND CLEAR. UH, AND THEN ADD SOME STANDARDS FOR THE USE TYPES SO THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THEY'RE EXPECTED TO DO, OKAY? YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE A SPECIAL USE PERMIT THAT THAT ISN'T CLEAR. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT ALLOWS THE STAFF TO DO THEIR JOB AND THEY'RE NOT ASKED TO MAKE JUDGMENT CALLS, OKAY? WHICH IS A DANGEROUS PROPOSITION. SO YOU STAND IS VERY IMPORTANT. UM, NEW ACCESS AND CIRCULATION REQUIREMENTS, SUPPORTIVE OF PEDESTRIAN TRANSPORTATION. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CALLS FOR. YOUR CAMERA PLAN WANTS THAT OTHER POLICY GUIDANCE THAT YOU'VE GOT IN PLACE WANTS PEOPLE TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO USE DIFFERENT MODES, TRANSPORTATION TO GET AROUND THE CITY. SO HOW DO WE FACILITATE THAT? HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE BAKE THAT INTO THE DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS? UM, SOME NEW EXTERIOR LIGHTING PROVISIONS. UM, AND WE ARE NOT SURE WHAT THAT'S GONNA, WHAT FORM THAT'S GONNA TAKE. WE DON'T WANT LIGHT TRESPASS, RIGHT? WE DON'T WANT TO SEE OUR NEIGHBOR'S LIGHTS IN OUR, YOU KNOW, IN OUR WINDOWS, RIGHT? UM, WE DON'T WANT GLARE. ALRIGHT? SO I DON'T WANNA BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND HAVE SOMEBODY'S PARKING LOT LIGHTS BLASTING ME IN MY FACE AND NOW I CAN'T SEE AND I RUN OVER SOMEBODY. WE DON'T WANT THAT EITHER. SO HOW DO WE DEAL WITH SOME OF THOSE CHALLENGES? WE WANT TO SUGGEST SOME EXTERIOR LIGHTING PROVISIONS. UM, AND REVIEW AND UPDATE OF THE SIGNAGE STUDENTS. YOUR SIGN REGULATIONS ARE LONG IN THE TOOTH, UM, AND NEED TO BE UPDATED, UM, AND MADE A LITTLE BIT MORE CLEAR AND A LITTLE BIT LESS CONTENT BASED. UH, SO WE'LL BE LOOKING AT YOUR SIGN REGULATIONS. UH, I, I DON'T KNOW HOW, UH, DRASTIC THE SIGN AREA PROVISIONS WILL WILL CHANGE. UM, AND THE SIGN AREA PROVISION IS HOW BIG OF A SIGN CAN I HAVE, RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE WHO ARE IN BUSINESS, THAT'S WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT. HOW BIG OF A SIGN CAN I HAVE? ALRIGHT? I DON'T KNOW THAT THOSE STANDARDS WILL CHANGE MUCH, BUT WHERE THAT SIGN'S LOCATED, HOW THAT SIGN'S CONFIGURED WILL LIKELY CHANGE A LITTLE BIT. I, I WOULD SUPPOSE THAT WE WOULD SEE SOME MORE INCENTIVES AND SOME MORE FLEXIBILITY ABOUT HOW SIGNAGE CAN BE ACCOMMODATED. MAYBE THERE'S SOME PREFERRED FORMS OF SIGNAGE THAT WE'D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE OR SUPPORT. AND IF YOU DO PREFERRED SIGNAGE, WELL YOU GET MORE OF IT. AND IF YOU DON'T, WELL YOU DON'T. SO THAT'S A BASIC KIND OF A APPROACH TO SIGNAGE STANDARDS. QUESTIONS ON THIS, AND AGAIN, WE'RE THIS IS, WE'RE IN EXPLORATION MODE NOW. YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS ARE GONNA BE THE ONES WHO DECIDE WHAT GETS INCLUDED AND WHAT DOESN'T. AND WE'RE SENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY TO MAKE A PROFIT BECAUSE IF THEY DON'T MAKE A PROFIT, THEY'RE GONNA GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. OKAY? ALRIGHT. PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS, UM, NATIVE PLANTS AND SPECIES DIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS. OKAY? EMERALD DASHBOARD. YOU GUYS HAVE ASH TREES HERE? YES. NO. YOU EVER HEARD OF THAT? YOU EVER HEARD OF DUTCH ELM DISEASE? YEAH. PEOPLE HEARD OF THAT. YEAH. UM, SO THE EMERALD ASH HO IS NOW EATING [00:55:01] ALL OF THE ASH TREES IN THE COUNTRY. UM, AND NEXT YEAR, WHO KNOWS WHAT THE NEXT BIG BUG WILL BE THAT COMES ALONG. UM, BUT SPECIES DIVERSITY AND NATIVE SPECIES REQUIREMENTS HELPS US DEAL WITH THOSE KINDS OF PROBLEMS. UM, WE'RE SUGGESTING MORE OPEN SPACE SET ASIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL USES, BUT, BUT, UM, A GREATER RECOGNITION OF THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT COULD BE CREDITED AS OPEN SPACE. SO IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE IF YOU CAN, IF YOU CONFIGURE YOUR STORM WATER FACILITY AS A SITE AMENITY INSTEAD OF A ROCK PIT WITH A FENCE AROUND IT, THEN YOU GET CREDIT TOWARDS LANDSCAPING TOWARDS OPEN SPACE, RIGHT? WE CREATE A PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE FOR THINGS LIKE STORM WATER FACILITIES TO BE BUILT IN A NICE FASHION INSTEAD OF AS A UTILITARIAN FASHION. NOW, CAN I STILL DO A STORM WATER CONTROL MEASURE AS A UTILITY? YEP, SURE CAN. ABSOLUTELY YOU CAN. BUT WE'RE GONNA ASK YOU TO SCREEN IT. IT NEEDS TO BE FULLY SCREENED. SO THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF KIND OF SOME OF THE SUGGESTIONS THAT WE MAKE IN TERMS OF THIS OPEN SPACE THING. UM, INCENTIVES FOR TREE PRESERVATION. UM, SOMETHING WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE STOPPING SHORT OF REQUIRING TREE SAVES. YOU DO HAVE SOME REQUIREMENTS IN YOUR LOCAL HISTORIC OVERLAY DISTRICT ABOUT TREE SAVE AND THAT'S NOT GONNA CHANGE. BUT WE DO WANT TO ENCOURAGE TREE SAVE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY WHERE THAT'S POSSIBLE AND, AND, AND GIVE DEVELOPERS, YOU KNOW, A REAL REASON TO, TO SAVE TREES. UM, IN TERMS OF CREDITS TOWARDS LANDSCAPING REQUIREMENTS. CONSIDER SOME INCENTIVES, UH, DISINCENTIVES FROM MASS GRADING. OKAY, SO WHEN I COME TO TOWN AND I'VE GOT A 50 ACRE SITE AND I MOW DOWN EVERY SINGLE TREE, RIGHT? WE ALL LOVE THAT. EVERYBODY LOVES TO SEE THE CLEAR CUT SITES. UM, THAT'S DONE PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF STORMWATER CONSIDERATIONS AND IT'S CHEAPER TO HAVE BUILDING PADS THAT ARE FLAT LEVEL, ET CETERA. AND SOME DISINCENTIVES FOR THAT KIND OF MASS GRADING IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO EXPLORE WITH YOU GUYS. WE WANT TO REMEMBER I MENTIONED HUNTER EARLIER, THE GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE GUY. UH, WE WANT TO WORK WITH HIM TO MAYBE COME UP WITH SOME DISINCENTIVES. COULD YOU STILL MAADE? YEAH, YOU COULD, BUT MAYBE THERE'S SOME DISINCENTIVES FOR THAT KIND OF BEHAVIOR. UH, UM, WE DO WANT TO MAKE LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES MANDATORY IN PARKING LOTS. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT. SO WHEN IT RAINS, PARKING LOTS ARE ONE OF THE WORST CULPRITS FOR STORM WATER RUNOFF, BOTH IN TERMS OF QUANTITY AND QUALITY. OKAY? THAT WATER THAT ROLLS OFF OF THOSE PARKING LOTS IS FULL OF BENZENE BAD STUFF. AND SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS CREATE PARKING LOTS THAT ARE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT DEVICES, UM, AND SERVE A MORE ROBUST FUNCTION IN ADDRESSING STORM WATER THAT IS CURRENTLY REQUIRED. OKAY? AND WE'D LIKE TO MAKE THAT NOT THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE. NOT AN INCENTIVE, BUT A REQUIREMENT. OKAY. PENDING Y'ALL'S DISCUSSION. UM, FINALLY PROMOTING FIREWISE, UM, OR SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THAT. UM, COMMUNITIES OUT WEST HAVE DEVELOPED A FIREWISE DEVELOPMENT APPROACH. UM, AND THAT INCLUDES A VARIETY OF THINGS LIKE BUILDING MATERIALS, LANDSCAPING REQUIREMENTS, BUILDING SPACING, UM, AND A VARIETY OF OTHER TECHNIQUES THAT, THAT SUBDIVISIONS CAN USE TO BECOME MORE FIRE RESISTANT. UM, WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS IMPORTANT, UH, FOR YOU GUYS. YOU DO HAVE A LOT OF FORESTED AREA, UM, AND I THINK YOU HAD A FIRE THAT WAS IN A SWAMP THAT BURNED FOR YEARS HERE. SO, UM, RECOGNIZING THAT THAT KIND OF THING ISN'T BECOMING MORE RARE, IT'S BECOMING MORE COMMON. SO HOW DO WE PLAN FOR THAT? QUESTIONS ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, MORE HOUSING OPTIONS. JESS MENTIONED THIS. UM, A WIDER RANGE OF MORE BUY RIGHT HOUSING. BUY RIGHT HOUSING. WHAT THE HECK DOES THAT MEAN? THAT MEANS I CAN COME IN AND ASK FOR IT. THERE'S NOT A REZONING, THERE'S NO LEGISLATIVE DISCRETION, ALRIGHT? IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO PROPOSE A SLIGHTLY MORE INTENSE KIND OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, THEY WOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO THAT ADMINISTRATIVELY SUBJECT TO SOME VERY CLEAR STANDARDS THAT WE PUT IN THE REGULATION LIMITS ON DENSITY AND REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPATIBILITY, OKAY? SO THAT WE'RE PROTECTING THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE AROUND THESE KINDS OF NEWER, SMALL, LOTS, SMALL HOME DEVELOPMENTS. UM, POCKET NEIGHBORHOODS. THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S TV POCKET NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE THAT. OKAY. SO THESE ARE, THIS IS A COMMUNITY OF WHAT ABOUT SEVEN HOMES, RIGHT. EACH HOME'S ON ITS INDIVIDUAL LOT, BUT THEY'RE SMALL LOTS. THEY'VE GOT A COMMON AREA THAT THEY SHARE. OKAY. UM, AND EVERYBODY HAS EITHER SHARED OR INDIVIDUAL PARKING [01:00:01] SPACES. BY ALLOWING SMALLER LOTS AND GREATER DENSITIES, WE'RE WE'RE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE MORE HOMES. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU NOTICED OR NOT, BUT THESE HOMES ARE MUCH SMALLER THAN THE HOMES AROUND THEM. OKAY. THAT MEANS THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT LESS EXPENSIVE. SO THAT'S ONE STRATEGY THAT'S BEEN EFFECTIVE. UM, ALLOWANCE FOR ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS. THE GRANNY FLAT, THE, THE, UM, UNIT OVER MY GARAGE, UM, ALLOWING THAT. UM, AND BY THE WAY, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST NEED TO DO THAT. 'CAUSE IF YOU DON'T, THE STATE'S GONNA DO IT FOR YOU. THEY TRIED LAST YEAR OR YEAR BEFORE. UH, IT DID NOT PASS, BUT IT WILL. UM, THEY'RE GONNA STRIP LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FROM YOUR ABILITY TO SAY NO TO ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS. UM, SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GET SOME STANDARDS ON THE BOOKS IN THE HOPES THAT THEY LET COMMUNITIES WITH STANDARDS CONTINUE TO HAVE THEM INSTEAD OF JUST OUT AND OUT EXEMPTING, UM, ALL DEVELOPMENT FROM LOCAL RULES, UM, PROMOTING MIXED USE. RIGHT. WE ALL PLANNERS ARE CRAZY FOR MIXED USE. WE LOVE IT. RIGHT. AND WE USED TO HAVE MIXED USE ALL THE TIME, RIGHT. IN THE 1930S AND 1940S, THIS IS ALL WE DID. AND THEN IN THE 1950S, WE BUILT AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM AND PEOPLE MOVED OUT OF THE CITIES AND WE HAD TO HAVE THESE KIND OF BIG TRACKED RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISIONS. AND NOW EVERY TIME YOU WANNA DO ANYTHING, YOU GOTTA GET IN THE CAR. RIGHT? SO WE'RE TRYING TO REVERSE THAT NOW AS A SOCIETY. AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING IS MORE MIXED USE. I RAN INTO A, UM, ANOTHER ORDINANCE THAT HAD, UM, SROS, SINGLE RESIDENT OCCUPANCY. SINGLE, YES. WHERE THE, THE PARKING REQUIREMENT WAS, UM, HALF A SPACE PER SRO. HMM. OKAY. SO, UM, WELL, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE TO, UH, TO ACCOMMODATE. WE CAN CERTAINLY TALK ABOUT IT. AN SRO IS A VERY URBAN CONSTRUCT. UM, AND IT'S INTENDED FOR INDIVIDUALS, RIGHT? AND SO, AN SRO IS A BUILDING THAT HAS, UM, INDIVIDUAL SLEEPING UNITS THAT MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT INCLUDE INDIVIDUAL BATHROOMS. THERE MIGHT BE A COMMUNAL BATHROOM, OR EACH UNIT MIGHT HAVE ITS OWN BATHROOM, UH, FOR THE, FOR THE QUOTE UNQUOTE NICER ONES. UM, BUT THERE'S A SHARED KITCHEN AND A SHARED COMMUNITY SPACE, ALRIGHT? AND IF YOU LOOK IN CITIES LIKE SEATTLE OR, UM, YOU KNOW, EVEN IN CHICAGO NOW, WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THESE KINDS OF SRO DEVELOPMENTS. THEY'RE PROPAGATED BY YOUNG PEOPLE, UM, WHO AREN'T MARRIED AND WHO ARE WAITING TO GET MARRIED AND DON'T HAVE CHILDREN, AND DON'T HAVE A HOUSE FULL OF FURNITURE AND DON'T WANT A YARD TO MAINTAIN AND CAN'T AFFORD A HOUSE, EVEN IF THEY DID WANT ALL OF THAT STUFF. SO THEY'RE MOVING INTO THESE SRO FACILITIES. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS WANT TO ACCOMMODATE? WELL, SURE. WE CAN SUGGEST IT, LOOK INTO IT, MAKE SOME DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THAT FITS HERE. UM, OKAY. UM, WE'D LIKE TO SUGGEST SOME SHORT TERM RENTAL RULES. I KNOW THAT'S A VERY TOUCHY SUBJECT. UH, IN MOST COMMUNITIES, AIRBNBS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR SOCIETY. THEY'RE AN IMPORTANT REVENUE SOURCE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. THEY'RE AN IMPORTANT WAY OF ACCOMMODATING TOURISM. WE GET THAT. UM, THEY'RE ALSO VERY, VERY IMPACTFUL IN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS. UM, IF YOU LIVE NEXT DOOR TO AN AIRBNB, YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. UM, AND SO MAYBE YOU GUYS WANT TO GO THERE, MAYBE YOU DON'T. CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD SUGGEST. UM, YOU KNOW, WE EXPLORE THAT AND PROMOTING LIVE WORK UNITS, THE ABILITY TO, UH, LIVE ABOVE YOUR WORKSPACE. WHETHER YOU'RE AN URBAN PLANNER WHO WORKS AT A DESK OR A POTTER WHO HAS A STUDIO, UM, OR INSURANCE AGENT, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU CAN LIVE ABOVE YOUR BUSINESS, WHICH IS HOW WE USED TO DO IT IN THE, IN THE GOLDEN PONDS WAY BACK. CHAD, WILL YOU TOUCH ON, YOU AND I HAD A DISCUSSION, BUT SOME OF THOSE WAYS THAT, UM, HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVE IN OTHER COMMUNITIES IN MITIGATING IMPACTS FROM AIRBNBS. 'CAUSE I THINK WE DO HAVE PEOPLE INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT IT. YEAH. I'D LOVE TO TELL YOU SOME, SOME GREAT SUCCESS STORIES ABOUT, UH, ATTEMPTS ANYWAYS. YEAH. SO, UM, WE ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE A LOT OF HISTORY TO DRAW ON EITHER IN NORTH CAROLINA OR FROM OTHER COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ABOUT HOW TO HANDLE THIS USE TYPE. OKAY? WILMINGTON HAD A REGULATION IN PLACE, UM, THAT SOUGHT TO DO A FEW THINGS LIKE LIMITING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF, OF, UH, SHORT-TERM RENTALS THAT YOU COULD HAVE IN A COMMUNITY. ALRIGHT? AND REQUIRING THOSE OWNERS TO REGISTER THOSE HOMES, UM, IN A CITY REGISTRY IN PURSUIT OF LIMITING THE TOTAL NUMBER THAT YOU COULD HAVE. AND THEY HAVE SOME SEPARATION REQUIREMENTS. YOU GOTTA BE SO FAR AWAY FROM, FROM ONE SO THAT WE DON'T CREATE THESE RENTAL GHETTOS. UM, THAT WAS THE ESSENCE OF WILMINGTON'S APPROACH. THEY GOT SUED. THEY LOST, OKAY. THE SCHROEDER CASE SAYS THAT YOU CAN, AS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT REGULATE SHORT TERM RENTALS. [01:05:01] YOU CANNOT HAVE A REGISTRY. OKAY? SO YOU CAN'T REGISTER THESE THINGS, WHICH MEANS YOU CAN'T CAP THE TOTAL NUMBER IN YOUR COMMUNITY. YOU CAN HAVE A SEPARATION STANDARD. I DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD SUGGEST YOU DO THAT. YOU SHOULD TREAT THESE AS A USE. YOU SHOULD REQUIRE A PERMIT. YOU SHOULD REQUIRE STANDARDS FOR PARKING. YOU SHOULD REQUIRE STANDARDS FOR TRASH TREATMENT. NOW, THERE'S A LOT OF PLACES THAT WANT TO DABBLE IN HOW LONG IS, HOW LONG CAN I HAVE GUESTS IN THE HOUSE? OR HOW MANY GUESTS CAN I HAVE IN THE ROOM? YOU CAN DO THAT STUFF IF YOU WANT TO. HOW MANY ENFORCEMENT PEOPLE DO YOU HAVE? TWO. TWO. AND DO THEY WORK ON NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS? MM-HMM. OKAY. SHORT TERM RENTAL PROBLEMS HAPPEN. THEY START ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND THEY RUN THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. OKAY? SO ANYTIME YOU WANT TO HAVE REGULATIONS ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU CAN HAVE OR HOW MANY HOW MUCH NOISE CAN BE CREATED OR THAT SORT OF THING, YOU BETTER HAVE ENFORCEMENT STAFF WHO ARE WORKING ON THE WEEKEND AND AT NIGHT. 'CAUSE THAT'S WHEN THE PROBLEMS OCCUR. ALRIGHT? SO WE TRY TO STEER CLEAR OF THINGS LIKE THAT. AND TO BE HONEST, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS WHO FEEL LIKE THAT'S NOT ENOUGH. BUT YOU'VE GOTTA BE PRACTICAL HERE. UM, HOW DO WE, I GOT, I I I SEE YOU'VE GOT A QUESTION. UM, HOW DO WE MANAGE THIS USE TYPE WITH THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE, UH, CODE ENFORCEMENT STAFF OF 60 PEOPLE ON PAYROLL? UH, 'CAUSE THAT'S JUST NOT, NOT GONNA BE SUSTAINABLE FOR THE COMMUNITY. QUESTION ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, THE HISTORIC DISTRICT ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH A WHOLE PROCESS WITH REGARD TO SHORT-TERM RENTALS. AND WE DID PASS, THE ALDERMAN DID PASS REGULATIONS THAT INCLUDED A REGISTRY AND INCLUDED THINGS LIKE PARKING AND HOW CLOSE IT COULD BE. IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE STATE SUBSEQUENTLY CAME IN AND SAID LOCAL JURISDICTIONS COULDN'T MAKE THEIR OWN REGULATIONS WITH REGARD TO SHORT TERM RENTALS. SO WE ARE NOT YET PREEMPTED TOTALLY FROM HAVING REGULATIONS. THE SCHROEDER CASE SETTLED THAT LAW. YOU ARE PROHIBITED FROM HAVING A REGISTRY THAT IS AN OUT NOW PROHIBITION, YOU MAY NOT DO THAT. AND, AND I'M, IF YOU WANT TO HAVE THAT IN YOUR ORDINANCE, I'M NOT THE GUY TO PROPOSE THAT FOR YOU. 'CAUSE THAT WOULD BE MEAN. I WAS BREAKING THE LAW. SO, UM, BUT SCHROEDER DID ANSWER THE QUESTION, CAN WE REGULATE THESE USES? AND THE ANSWER IS YES WE CAN. AND NOW THE QUESTION BECOMES, NOT SHOULD WE, BUT HOW SHOULD WE, HOW BEST SHOULD WE GIVEN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CONSTRAINTS AND THE, AND THE PRACTICAL REALITIES THAT EVERYBODY HAS. UM, IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WILL COME BACK AND PREEMPT EVERYBODY FROM REGULATING THESE? YES, THERE IS. YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT. AND THOSE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WHO HAVE VERY STRICT REGULATIONS, OKAY, AGAINST THESE USE TYPES, THEY'RE GONNA, THEY'RE GONNA ANGER THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. AND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS GONNA STEP IN AND PREEMPT EVERYBODY BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN WITH OTHER TYPES OF DEVELOPMENTS. VHOA CAN DO THAT THOUGH. 'CAUSE I BELONG TO AN HOA THAT LIMITS. IT'S A SIX MONTH MINIMUM. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. SO THAT'S A, A WAY OUT OF AROUND IT. IF YOU KNOW THIS DEEP THING WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, WHAT WAS THAT SUBJECT AGAIN? CCC AND R SOME DEEP RESTRICTIONS. AND YES, I LIVE IN A C COMMUNITY THAT ALSO HAS COVENANTS THAT BAR SHORT TERM RENTALS AND YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO DO IT. BUT THAT'S NOT THE CITY'S WHEELHOUSE. NO, THEY'RE NOT PARTY TO PRIVATE ENGAGEMENTS OR PRIVATE AGREEMENTS. AND THEY'RE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ENFORCING THOSE. BUT YES, THAT IS, THEY'RE ALSO NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT RELIABLE IN TRANSIENT COMMUNITIES. HOAS OFTEN GO DEFUNCT AND THEY DON'T ENFORCE MUCH. AND THAT'S OFTEN SEEN IN MILITARY COMMUNITIES SUCH AS SOMEWHERE NEAR CHERRY POINT. IT HAPPENS A LOT NEAR CAMP LAGOON AND THE AIR STATION OUT THERE. UH, YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF HOAS JUST NO LONGER EXIST ANYWHERE BUT PAPER, RIGHT? HOAS ARE FAR FROM PERFECT. UM, AND THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES THERE. UM, WE WILL GO IN AND EXPLORE YOUR REGULATIONS, UM, AND MAKE SOME SUGGESTIONS ABOUT MAYBE SOLVING SOME OF THE PROBLEMS. WILL IT SOLVE ALL OF THEM? NO. PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE. MM-HMM, . OKAY. UM, LAST KEY THEME. WE'RE ALMOST DONE. YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY PATIENT. UM, MODERNIZING THE USES I TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CAT CAFE AND THE EVENT VENUE AND SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT AREN'T IN YOUR CURRENT REGULATION, HAVING SOME STANDARDS FOR THOSE. WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT REVIEWING YOUR ZONING DISTRICTS AND MAKING SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR MODIFICATION. AND THE POINT THAT I WANNA MAKE FIRST AND FOREMOST FOR YOU GUYS IS WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY DRASTICALLY CHANGING YOUR RULES, OKAY? WE'RE NOT TAKING AWAY A BUNCH OF STUFF. WE'RE NOT ADDING A BUNCH OF STUFF. WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS WORK WITH THIS HODGEPODGE OF THINGS THAT YOU HAVE NOW AND TURN IT INTO SOMETHING THAT'S [01:10:01] A LITTLE BIT MORE EASY TO FOLLOW. OKAY? YOU GUYS HAVE TOO MANY DISTRICTS FOR A COMMUNITY OF YOUR SIZE. YOU HAVE AS MANY ZONING DISTRICTS AS CHARLOTTE HAS. OKAY? TOO MANY. WE SUGGEST SOME OF THOSE BE CONSOLIDATED. UM, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE. THIS IS ACTUALLY A PAGE FROM YOUR LUO, UH, IF IT'S ADOPTED. THIS IS THE TRANS, THE ZONING DISTRICT TRANSLATION TABLE THAT SHOWS HERE ARE THE USES THAT EXIST TODAY. HERE IS WHAT WE WOULD SUGGEST BE PUT IN PLACE IF YOU ADOPT THE NEW LUO. AND YOU'LL SEE OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE FEWER DISTRICTS. THERE ARE A FEW NEW ONES LIKE MIXED USE, LIKE A REDEVELOPMENT DISTRICT. WE WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOUR HISTORIC DISTRICT BE TAKEN FROM AN OVERLAY DISTRICT AND TURNED INTO A BASE ZONING DISTRICT WITH A RESIDENTIAL AND A NON-RESIDENTIAL COMPONENT. WE'D LIKE TO TAKE SEVERAL OF YOUR, UH, OTHER OVERLAYS, LIKE FIVE POINTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION OVERLAYS, UH, AND RIVER STATION AND CONVERT THEM INTO BASE ZONING DISTRICTS. AN OVERLAY DISTRICT, BY THE WAY, IS A SET OF RULES THAT RIDES ON TOP OF THE BASE ZONING DISTRICT STANDARDS. SO YOU'VE GOT ALL OF THE RULES IN THE BASE ZONING DISTRICT STANDARDS FOR WHAT USES CAN YOU HAVE AND WHAT ARE THE DIMENSIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND HOW'S THE DESIGN SUPPOSED TO BE. AND THEN YOU LAY ON TOP OF THAT A SET OF OVERLAY STANDARDS, OKAY? WHICH HAS ITS OWN PROVISIONS FOR USES AND DIMENSIONAL STANDARDS AND DESIGN AND SO FORTH. ALRIGHT? NOW, PLENTY OF PLACES IN YOUR COMMUNITY TODAY WHO HAVE LOTS WITH MULTIPLE OVERLAYS. SO IT'S NOT JUST ONE BASE DISTRICT AND ONE OVERLAY. IT'S TWO OR THREE, OKAY? THAT BECOMES UNMANAGEABLE AND WE NEED TO MOVE AWAY FROM THAT AND INTO SOMETHING THAT'S A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO ADMINISTER, OKAY? THAT'S EASIER TO UNDERSTAND AND PREDICT. SO THAT'S A BIG PART OF WHAT WE'RE SUGGESTING. CONVERSION OF RIVER STATION FROM AN OVERLAY INTO A BASE DISTRICT CONVERSION OF FIVE POINTS OVERLAY INTO A BASE DISTRICT. UM, TAKING YOUR LOCAL HISTORIC OVERLAY DISTRICT AND TURNING THAT INTO A BASE ZONING DISTRICT AND CONSOLIDATING IT TO C ONE. UM, TAKING YOUR, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION OVERLAYS OF WHICH THERE ARE 3, 4, 5, UH, AND CONSOLIDATING THEM INTO A SINGLE DISTRICT. UM, SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT WE'D LIKE TO MAKE IN THAT REGARD. UH, SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO YOUR PLAN DEVELOPMENT APPROACH THAT RELIES ON A CONDITIONAL ZONING DISTRICT, ET CETERA. SO, UM, THESE AGAIN, ARE CHANGES. WE ARE NOT NECESSARILY TAKING AWAY RULES. WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY ADDING RULES. WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO UNDERSTAND, A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO NAVIGATE AND NOT THIS POTENTIAL FOR MULTIPLE OVERLAYS. 'CAUSE THAT'S JUST UNINTELLIGIBLE QUESTIONS ON THE ZONING MAP CHANGES. OKAY? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, GO TO THE WEBSITE AND DOWNLOAD THE CODE ASSESSMENT. 'CAUSE IT'S GOT THOSE 90 RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT ALONG WITH THE REVIEW OF THE POLICY GUIDANCE AND THE REVIEW OF THE CURRENT REGULATION. UM, SO THAT'S THERE FOR YOU IF YOU'D LIKE TO LOOK AT IT. WE ARE WORKING INTERNALLY ON TASK THREE, THE ANNOTATED OUTLINE, THE DRESS REHEARSAL FOR THE NEW LHO. UM, WHAT DOES THE THING GONNA LOOK LIKE? HOW DOES THE PAGE LAYOUT LOOK? WHAT ARE THE COLORS? WHAT ARE THE FONTS? WHAT ARE THE NAMES OF THE CHAPTERS? WHAT ARE THE KEY SECTIONS WITHIN EACH CHAPTER? GIVE US SOME EXAMPLES. AND THAT'S WHAT THE ANNOTATED OUTLINE IS. STRUCTURE, PAGE, LAYOUT SECTION DESCRIPTIONS. THERE'S ALSO A FEW THINGS LIKE THIS. ZONING DISTRICT TRANSLATION TABLE, THE SUMMARY PROCEDURES TABLE, THEN SUMMARY USE TABLE, SOME BASIC ELEMENTS THAT WE WOULD PROPOSE THAT EVERYBODY NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND AS WE MOVE FORWARD. UM, WE'LL ALSO BE ASSEMBLING THE FIRST VERSION OF THE DRAFT ZONING MAP. AND I CAN'T STRESS THIS WORD ENOUGH. DRAFT. THIS IS ALL DRAFT MATERIAL. THIS ISN'T THE ADOPTED MATERIAL, BUT ALDERMAN GET TO DECIDE WHAT GETS ADOPTED. WE ARE PUTTING IDEAS ON THE TABLE. WE'LL BE IN TOWN ON SEPTEMBER 10TH AND 11TH TO TALK ABOUT THE KEY ASPECTS OF THE ANNOTATED OUTLINE. UH, THERE'LL BE A WORK SESSION WITH THE BOARD OF ALDERMAN AND A MEETING WITH THE PROJECT STEERING COMMITTEE. OKAY? BUT WE WILL ALSO HAVE OFFICE HOURS FROM TWO TO FIVE ON WEDNESDAY THE 11TH. SO CONTACT THE PLANNING DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND SCHEDULE YOUR MEETING. UM, IF YOU, OR IF YOUR FRIEND OR YOUR NEIGHBOR OR ANYBODY HAS QUESTIONS AND WANTS TO TALK WITH US, WE'LL BE HERE AND WE'RE HERE FOR THE EXPRESS PURPOSE OF HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS. OKAY? UM, NOW WE'RE, AS, AS JESS MENTIONED, UM, ONCE WE'VE GOT SOMETHING TO RESPOND TO, 'CAUSE WE'RE STILL A LITTLE BIT EARLY, WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING FOR PEOPLE TO REALLY SINK THEIR TEETH INTO. JUST SOME IDEAS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. ONCE WE'VE GOTTEN A LITTLE BIT FARTHER DOWN THE ROAD, UM, LIKELY IN NOVEMBER WE'RE GONNA START SCHEDULING SOME ROUND TABLE MEETINGS WITH [01:15:01] INTEREST GROUPS. SO THAT MIGHT BE THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY. IT MIGHT BE, UM, NOT THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY IN GENERAL, OR, UH, RESIDENTS OR BUSINESS OWNERS IN THE DOWNTOWN. SO, UH, AND PERHAPS THERE'S OTHER INTEREST GROUPS OUT THERE THAT WE, THAT FOLKS WOULD LIKE US TO SPEAK WITH. WE'RE WORKING OBVIOUSLY WITH THE REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION AS WELL. UM, AND SO WE'LL BE HERE PROBABLY NOVEMBER. WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH THOSE DETAILS TO FOCUS ON AND INITIATE OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH THESE INDIVIDUAL GROUPS. SO THAT'S OUR PLAN. UM, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS IDEA OF TRANSPARENCY AND PARTICIPATION AND ENGAGEMENT REALLY, REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO US. WE KNOW THAT, UM, IF WE WANT TO GET THIS THING ADOPTED, PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT AND SUPPORT IT. UH, AND THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THIS IS HOW WE'RE GONNA ACCOMPLISH THAT. AND THAT'S IT. UM, THANKS FOR COMING GUYS, AND HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. PLEASE, SIR, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. UM, WILL ANY PART OF THIS PROCESS ADDRESS THE CITY'S ETJ, THE EXTRA TERRITORIAL JURISDICTIONAL ZONE? UM, EVERY REGULATION THAT IS IN THE LUO IS APPLICABLE IN THE CORPORATE LIMITS IN THE ETJ. SO YES, IT SURELY WILL. UM, WE WILL, UH, YOU KNOW, ANY ZONING DISTRICT THAT'S IN THE, IN THE ETJ WILL BE, UM, YOU KNOW, AFFECTED BY THE PROJECT. SO YEAH, WE ARE, THAT IS THE PLAN. OKAY. NEW, NEW BERN HAS A DOWNTOWN AREA THAT IS IN TRANSITION AND, AND NEW BERN IS NOT OUT OF THE ORDINARY ON THAT. MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY COMMUNITIES ARE FACING THAT. UM, AND I THINK THERE'S, THERE'S CONCERN IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE DIRECTION THAT IT'S, IT'S HEADING IN LOSS OF BRICK AND MORTAR RETAIL AND GROWTH OF FOOD AND OR ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE, UH, FACILITIES. RIGHT. UM, AGAIN, WILL ANY ASPECT OF THIS PROCESS KIND OF GET INTO A DISCUSSION AS TO, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR NOT IT'S A DIRECTION THAT THE CITY WANTS TO SEE HAPPENING? AND IF NOT, ARE THERE WAYS TO MAYBE SLOW THAT TRANSITION DOWN OR IS THAT SORT OF A, A DIFFERENT TOPIC THAN WHAT YOU'RE ADDRESSING? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND, AND VERY NUANCED. UM, AND SO GENERALLY SPEAKING, SHOULD THE DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS DABBLE IN AND ATTEMPT TO CONTROL THE MARKET, RIGHT? WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY THE QUESTION YOU'RE ASKING. DO WE WANT TO FAVOR THIS USE OVER THAT USE OR ENCOURAGE THIS USE OVER THAT PARTICULAR USE? DO DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS DO THAT? SOMETIMES THEY DO. UM, WE HAVE TO BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THAT. THERE'S PRECIOUS FEW TALES OF ZONING ORDINANCES THAT HAVE DABBLED IN THE MARKET AND BEEN SUCCESSFUL. AND I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT ONE NOW, UM, GUYS KNOW, DC YOU EVER HEARD OF A PLACE CALLED FALLS CHURCH? DOES THAT RING A BELL? IT'S ONE OF THE CITIES ON THE NEWEST GRAY LINE. OKAY. SO IT'S A BIG UP AND COMING A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL. AND, UM, FALLS CHURCH SAW THIS DEVELOPMENT COMING AND WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT IT AND WANTED TO HAVE A VERY COMPACT URBAN FORM THAT WAS PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY AND WALKABLE AND NICE TO BE IN. OKAY? AND SO WHAT THEY DID WAS THEY SAID, WE WANT TO HAVE MIXED JUICE ON, ON THESE CORRIDORS THROUGHOUT OUR TOWN. WE WANT MIXED JUICE EVERYWHERE. SO THEY HAD 4, 5, 6 STORY BUILDINGS, MOSTLY APARTMENTS OR CONDOS WITH GROUND FLOOR RETAIL. OKAY? AND WHAT THEY DID WAS THEY MANDATED THAT ANYBODY WHO'S GONNA COME TO FALLS CHURCH'S GOING TO DO MIXED JUICE AND GOING TO HAVE THAT FIRST FLOOR BE RETAIL. ALRIGHT? AND SO WHAT THEY GOT WAS BLOCK AFTER BLOCK AFTER BLOCK OF APARTMENT TOWERS, FIVE, SIX STORIES TALL WITH GROUND FLOOR RETAIL, OKAY? AND WAY MORE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL THAN THEY HAD MARKET TO ACCOMMODATE, OKAY? BECAUSE THERE'S A SET AMOUNT OF RETAIL USE THAT ANY COMMUNITY CAN ACCOMMODATE THAT IT'S, IT'S A BASIC NUMBERS GAME. HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE THERE? HOW MANY PEOPLE SHOP THERE? AND THE MARKET WILL DETERMINE WHAT GETS BUILT AND HOW MUCH OF IT, OKAY? IN FALLS CHURCH, THEY SAID, NAH, MARKET BE DAMNED. WE WANT MIXED USE AND WE WANT GROUND FLOOR RETAIL. SO WHAT THEY WOUND UP WITH IS BLOCK AFTER BLOCK OF EMPTY FIRST FLOOR BUILDINGS, OKAY? THEY'RE JUST EMPTY. THEY'RE BRAND NEW BUILDINGS, THEY'RE FULLY, UH, RENTED. THEY'RE, THEY'RE BUTT, THERE'S NOTHING ON THE GROUND FLOOR BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THE STANDARDS CALLED FOR THE CREATION [01:20:01] OF MORE NON-RESIDENTIAL SPACE THAN THE MARKET COULD ABSORB. AND SO NOW THEY'VE GOT PROBLEMS WITH BROKEN WINDOWS, THERE'S PROBLEMS WITH SQUATTERS AND IT'S A VERY UNPLEASANT PEDESTRIAN COMMUNITY. SO WHAT THEY ENDED UP GETTING WAS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY WANTED. OKAY. SO AN INSTRUCTIVE TALE ABOUT MESSING WITH THE MARKET TOO MUCH. I WOULD SUGGEST TO YOU THAT, UM, IF YOU WANT TO FAVOR ONE TYPE OF, OF OF USE IN THE DOWNTOWN OVER ANOTHER, WE SHOULD BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THAT. WE SHOULD DO THAT ONLY WITH BENEFIT OF A THOROUGH ECONOMIC ANALYSIS. AND WE SHOULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE CITY'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ARMS FULLY ON BOARD AND, AND EVERYBODY NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THE RULES OF THE GAME HERE. I DON'T THINK THERE'S MUCH THAT THE REGULATIONS ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO IN THE DOWNTOWN TO FAVOR ONE USE OVER ANOTHER WHEN IT COMES TO THE KINDS OF ISSUES THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. WHETHER WE WANT A BRICK AND MORTAR RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT VERSUS, UH, AN EXPERIENTIAL, UH, KIND OF A RETAILER OR PERSONAL SERVICES USE, THOSE ARE VERY CHALLENGING FOR US TO REGULATE. UM, SO I DON'T KNOW. WE'LL HAVE TO TALK MORE ABOUT IT. AND, AND I THINK THE ONE THING THAT A LOT OF COMMUNITIES THINK, UM, IS, OH WELL WE'RE GONNA WRITE THE ZONING ORDINANCE AND IT'S A SILVER BULLET AND EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE FINE. AND, AND THE ZONING, THE ZONING ORDINANCE IS GONNA TAKE CARE OF ALL OF IT. AND THAT IS NOT THE CASE, PARTICULARLY IN DOWNTOWNS. ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT ZONING ORDINANCES CAN DO IN DOWNTOWN IS GET OUT OF THE WAY AND NOT HAVE REGULATIONS AND LET THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOP. UM, AND THAT IS A TRUE STORY. THE QUESTION, WELL, JUST PIGGYBACKING OFF THIS QUESTION, SO HOW CLOSELY DO YOU WORK WHEN YOU'RE DOING THIS WITH LIKE THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY? I MEAN, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T CROSS PATHS OR IS THAT PART OF YOUR PROCESS? WELL, WE TRY TO INCLUDE THEM. WE ENCOURAGE THAT THEY BE PART OF THINGS. AND I THINK IT'S THIS IDEA ABOUT WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE CHARACTER OF DOWNTOWN AND WHERE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS IS GOING. I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE DOWNTOWN TO WORK ON THAT AS A COMMUNITY AND THINK THROUGH, THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE'D LIKE TO DO AND HAVE A DIALOGUE WITH US ABOUT WHAT CAN WE REGULATE AND WHAT'S REALLY NOT GONNA BE A SUCCESSFUL ENDEAVOR FOR US FROM A REGULATORY STANDPOINT. UH, BECAUSE WE WANT TO PROPOSE STUFF THAT'S GONNA WORK FOR YOU GUYS AND NOT INCLUDE A BUNCH OF STUFF THAT'S JUST GONNA TANGLE YOU UP OR THAT'S NOT GONNA BE EFFECTIVE. 'CAUSE WE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN DABBLING, WE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN PLAYING IN THAT SANDBOX IN THE FIRST PLACE. GO AHEAD. OKAY. JUST A PROCESS QUESTION. UM, IN LISTENING TO YOU, THERE SEEMED TO BE TIMES YOU WERE SAYING WE ARE RECOMMENDING THIS AND OTHER TIMES THAT WE'VE GOTTA GET COMMUNITY FEEDBACK BEFORE WE MAKE A DETERMINATION ABOUT THIS OR THAT. I'M JUST TRYING TO SEE WHERE, I'M SURE YOU'VE GOT MODEL ORDINANCES AND YOU'VE DONE IT MANY MILLION TIMES AND VARIOUS THINGS, BUT EXACTLY WHERE ARE YOU TODAY IN WHAT HAS BEEN PROMULGATED AND WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE SUGGESTING? SO, UM, WE HAVE THE, THE UM, CODE ASSESSMENT DOCUMENT DOES SET DOWN A SERIES OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE. AND SOME OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS YOU WISELY POINTED OUT ARE GONNA REQUIRE SOME DISCUSSION AND PROBABLY SOME DEBATE, UH, AND THEN POTENTIALLY SOME REVISION BASED ON WHAT WE HEAR. UM, BUT WE HAVE A, A BODY OF RECOMMENDATIONS. THERE'S AROUND 90 OF THEM ASSEMBLED AND THEY'RE ON THE WEBSITE NOW. THEY ARE, THEY ARE IN THAT CODE ASSESSMENT DOCUMENT. THERE'S SUMMARIZED IN THE FIRST 12 PAGES OF THE DOCUMENT. SO THEY'RE THERE FOR EVERYBODY TO LOOK AT. AND SOME OF THOSE YOU GUYS ARE GONNA BE LIKE, YES. AND SOME OF THEM YOU'RE GONNA BE LIKE, NO, AND WE'VE JUST GOTTA HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, UM, WITH THE ELECTED OFFICIALS AND WITH THE COMMUNITY. THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. WAS THE THE CAT CAFE AN EXAMPLE OF A, A TYPE OF BUSINESS THAT WE'RE NOT SEEING NOW THAT WE COULD, I KNOW JESSICA HAD MENTIONED THAT AND YOU HAD MENTIONED IT ALSO MAYBE IDENTIFYING, UM, DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT THAT WE MIGHT SEE IN THE FUTURE THAT WE'RE NOT SEEING NOW. I MEAN, COULD YOU TAKE A MOMENT JUST TO ADDRESS WHAT, WHAT SOME OF THOSE POSSIBILITIES ARE? I'M GONNA LET COURTNEY WITH PRACTICAL REAL WORLD CA CAFE EXPERIENCE HANDLE THAT ONE. I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. SO YES, CA CAFES ARE POPPING UP. UM, I'VE SEEN THEM USE AS COFFEE SHOPS SLASH ADOPTION. UM, BUT GIVING AN EXAMPLE OF A RECENT ONE WE HAD WAS A DRONE DELIVERY SERVICE. UM, AND SO THEY NEEDED AN AREA WHERE THEY COULD ACTUALLY PICK UP THE FOOD AND THEN DELIVER THE FOOD. AND IT WAS GETTING INTO AIRSPACE, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE FAA RULES REGARDING THAT? WHAT CAN WE CAN'T REGULATE IN OUR NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL STATUTES? AND HONESTLY, THE BEST USE THAT WE HAD [01:25:01] WAS LIKE AN AIRSTRIP AND IT WASN'T IN AN AREA WHERE THEY WANTED TO GO. 'CAUSE THEY OBVIOUSLY WANTED TO BE ABLE TO PICK UP FROM THE CHICK-FIL-A AND THE WENDY'S AND THINGS ALONG THOSE LINE, ALONG THOSE LINES TO THEN DELIVER. UM, SO THAT'S ONE THAT RECENTLY PROBABLY POPPED UP IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS THAT, YOU KNOW, AS A PLANNER WE'RE KIND OF SCRATCHING OUR HEAD OF, OKAY, HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS WORK AND NOT HAVE ANY UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES? WHICH IS ALWAYS THE BALANCING ACT. UM, SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY SEEING LITTLE THINGS ALONG THOSE LINES. UM, IN GOAT YOGA, I MEAN, THAT IS ANOTHER ONE. IT USUALLY GETS KIND OF FOLDED INTO AGRITOURISM POTENTIALLY. UM, BUT I COULDN'T IMAGINED, YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS AGO, ANYBODY TELLING ME THEY WOULD BRING IN GOATS TO A YOGA STUDIO OR THE YOGA STUDIO WOULD GO TO HANG OUT WITH THE GOATS, WITH GOAT, RIGHT? UM, SO THOSE, AND THOSE ARE THE ONES WHERE YOU START TO, YOUR, YOUR GOAL IS TO MAKE IT SO THAT YOU HAVE THE USES THAT ARE AVAILABLE. SO YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, A USE THAT WOULD ALLOW GOATS AND A USE THAT WOULD ALLOW A YOGA STUDIO. AND HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE ANY DISTRICTS THAT ALLOW THEM TO HAVE BOTH. AND THEN HAVING THAT FLEXIBILITY THAT STAFF CAN SIMPLY APPROVE AN ITEM, WHICH ODDLY ENOUGH I'VE SEEN PLACES WHERE THE GOATS ARE BROUGHT TO PARKS AND IT'S AN OPTION TO HELP KIND OF DRAW PEOPLE DOWNTOWN TO A PARK PLACE, UM, AND GET PEOPLE MOVING INTO DOWNTOWNS. UH, AGAIN, DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD'VE THOUGHT OF IT. I DON'T KNOW THAT I'M THAT CREATIVE, BUT THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE BEGINNING TO SEE. RIGHT. AND, AND I WOULD SAY TO YOU THAT, UM, ONE THING WE WILL BE DOING IS BUILDING IN AN UNLISTED USE PROCEDURE, UH, AND A SET OF UNLISTED USE CHARACTERISTICS THAT ARE BASED ON THE, THE USE CATEGORIES THAT YOU, THAT WE'RE SUGGESTING BE INCLUDED IN THE LUO SO THAT WHEN THE, YOU KNOW, DRONE DELIVERY PLACE COMES TO TOWN, UM, YOUR STAFF ISN'T LEFT STANDING THERE GOING, WELL, IS THIS AN AIRPORT? WHAT IS THIS? UH, AND HOW DO WE REGULATE IT? UH, SO WE, WE HAVE A PROCESS. I CAN'T STAND HERE AND TELL YOU I KNOW WHAT'S COMING DOWN THE ROAD 'CAUSE I DON'T BECAUSE, AND NOBODY DOES. UM, THERE'S THINGS OUT THERE TODAY THAT WE WOULD'VE NEVER EXPECTED, UH, AS AS RECENTLY AS FIVE YEARS AGO THAT ARE HERE NOW. UM, AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO REASON TO THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE ANY DIFFERENT FIVE YEARS FORWARD FROM NOW. BUT WHAT WE CAN DO, UM, IS INCLUDE A PROCESS IN THE LUO THAT THAT SETS SOME PARAMETERS ABOUT HOW THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE HANDLED AND HOW STAFF CAN APPLY THE REGULATIONS THAT YOU DO HAVE TO THESE NEW USE TYPES THAT HAVEN'T COME ALONG YET. UM, AND THAT'S ABOUT THE BEST WE'RE GONNA DO. WE'LL TAKE A STAB AT YOUR, YOU KNOW, MICRO RETAIL AND YOUR POPUP SHOPS AND YOUR, YOU KNOW, CAT CAFES AND GO YOGAS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE SOME STANDARDS FOR DRONE RADAR FACILITIES, WHICH JUST INCLUDED IN THE GENERAL STATUTES. UM, SO THAT'S AT LEAST A POSITIVE THAT THERE'S GONNA BE RADAR SYSTEMS FOR THESE DRONE THINGS. I THINK ALSO IT'S PROBABLY OUTSIDE OF THE USE CHART, MOST IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THESE MORE COMMON UP AND COMING HOUSING TYPE OPTIONS. MM-HMM. AND DECIDE WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT LIVE WITH HERE, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE, WE'VE CURRENTLY HAD A FEW OF THOSE COME UP. UM, SOME OF THE MOST COMMON THINGS ARE TINY HOME COMMUNITIES AND RENTAL COMMUNITIES AND, AND YOU THINK RENTAL COMMUNITIES, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A BIG SUBDIVISION. UH, IT COULD BE SIX, SEVEN HOUSES ON ONE BIG LOT THAT ARE NEVER SOLD AND THEY'RE DE RESTRICTED AND THERE ARE ONLY FOUR FOLKS WHO ARE RENTING. UH, AND WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT, WE DO TRY TO APPLY THE MOST SIMILAR USE STANDARDS, BUT THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY SPECIFICALLY HANDLED. HAM IS A GREAT EXAMPLE BECAUSE THEY CAN COME ON TRAILERS, UH, THEY CAN BECOME STICK-BUILT HOMES THAT COMPLY WITH NORTH CAROLINA BUILDING CODE. UH, BUT IF THEY DON'T FIT NEATLY INTO ONE OF THOSE CONSTRUCTION TYPES OR USE TYPES, WE HAVE TO USE SOMETHING THAT'S SIMILAR, DETACHED MULTIFAMILY, THAT IS A RENTAL COMMUNITY. AND THOSE ARE POPPING UP ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA. NOW, BOTH OF THOSE HAVE COME JUST THIS MONTH. ARE THOSE THE ONES ON WHEELS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? NO. WELL, SO HE'S TALKING ABOUT TINY HOMES THAT ARE ON WHEELS AND SOME, SOME ARE. AND THAT'S WHAT THAT, WHAT YOU CALL IT, I CALLED, WHAT I SAID WAS DETACHED MULTIFAMILY, WHICH ARE SINGLE FAMILY DWELLINGS THAT ARE MADE AVAILABLE FOR RENT THAT ARE NOT ON THEIR OWN LOTS. IT'S ONE BIG PARCEL. ONE PERSON OWNS THE LAND AND ALL THE HOUSES AND THEY'RE FOR RENT, THEY NOT FOR SALE. AND WHAT'S THE ONE WITH WHEELS CALLED? TINY HOUSE. THOSE WOULD BE TINY HOMES. THEY DON'T ALWAYS HAVE WHEELS. IT, IT'S NOT ALWAYS A A THING. YOU KNOW, WHEN WE ENCOUNTER STUFF LIKE THAT, UH, THE PROCEDURE FOR LOOKING AT THAT IS DOES IT HAVE A HUD LABEL? AND IF IT DOES, IT'S CONSIDERED [01:30:01] A MOBILE HOME. OH, IF IT DOESN'T AND IT'S ON A TRAILER, IT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT IT HAS A VIN NUMBER, IT THEN BECOMES AN RV. OH, I SEE. OR A PORT MODEL. I GET IT, I GET IT. AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS HE'S TALKING ABOUT. MAYBE THEY'RE APPROPRIATE IF THEY'RE SCREENED AND THE REST, YOU KNOW, NOT EVERYBODY HAS TO LOOK AT IT FROM THE STREET AND IT'S NOT IMPACTING EXISTING COMMUNITIES. THESE ARE SOLUTIONS TO HOUSING. UM, BUT IF THEY'RE DONE RIGHT, THEY HAVE TO BE IN THE ORDINANCE IN ORDER TO BE DONE RIGHT AND ACCOMMODATED. OTHERWISE, YOU END UP KIND OF BY LAW HAVING TO AD HOC APPLY OTHER STANDARDS THAT WERE NOT INTENDED FOR THESE TYPES OF THINGS. AND THAT'S VERY MUCH WHAT, WHEN WE SAY I NEED TO ADD PREDICTABILITY TO HOW MY STAFF'S OPERATING UNDER THIS SET OF RULES, THESE THINGS NEED TO BE IN THERE AND THOSE NEED TO BE OUTLINED. I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION. DID SPECIAL USE PERMIT, DO YOU REMEMBER SOMETIME BACK, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT. DOES THAT SET A PRECEDENT? NO, NOT NECESSARILY. OH, OKAY. GOOD. NOT NECESSARILY. OKAY. GOOD QUESTION. WE ARE, UH, AT TIME, UM, BUT HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. WE'RE COMING BACK TO TOWN. IF YOU GUYS WANT TO COME AND SEE US, WE'D LOVE TO SEE YOU, UM, IN THIS VERY ROOM ON DECEMBER, UM, SEPTEMBER 11TH AT UH, 2:00 PM PLEASE CONTACT STAFF IF YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE A MEETING. WE'D LOVE TO TALK WITH YOU, TELL YOUR FRIENDS. AND THANKS FOR COMING TO US. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.