City Council

CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA HON. MARY KATHERINE GREENLAW, MAYOR HON. BRADFORD C. ELLIS, VICE -MAYOR, WARD ONE CITY COUNCIL HON. KERRY P. DEVINE, AT-LARGE HON. MATTHEW J. KELLY, AT-LARGE HON. GEORGE C. SOLLEY, WARD TWO HON. FREDERIC N. HOWE, III, WARD THREE Council Chambers, 715 Princess Anne Street HON. BEATRICE R. PAOLUCCI, WARD FOUR Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401 Council Work Session October 23, 2012 Unified Development Ordinance and Procedures Manual The Council of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia held a work session on Tuesday, October 9, 2012, beginning at 5:00 p.m. in City Hall Conference Room. Council Present. Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw, Presiding. Vice-Mayor Bradford C. Ellis (5:20). Councilors Kerry P. Devine, Frederic N. Howe, III (5:10), Matthew J. Kelly, Beatrice R. Paolucci, and George C. Solley. Also Present. City Manager Beverly R. Cameron, Assistant City Manager Mark Whitley, City Attorney Kathleen Dooley, Planning Director Ray Ocel, Senior Planner Erik Nelson, Community Development Planner Marne Sherman, Zoning Officer Debra Mathis, Director of Building & Development Services Steve Smallwood, Clerk of Council Tonya B. Lacey. Others Present. Chad Meadows, Clarion Associates. Unified Development Ordinance and Procedures Manual. Mr. Ocel gave a brief synopsis of how the UDO project had taken place. The adoption of the UDO will be one of the few adopted in the State. They began with a 16 member Steering Committee who reviewed the draft UDO. Several stakeholders were interviewed by Clarion in the being stages of the project and Clarion will meet with them again to introduce the UDO. There were several departments involved in the reviewing of the UDO as well as the arborist who reviewed the document and gave input. The Clean and Green Commission was also included in the review and they gave their input which was incorporated into the document. The UDO will modernize the current regulations from 1984. The Planning Commission has 2 informal work sessions, a formal review this summer and they approved the document in September. 1  Mr. Meadows stated that Clarion had done 100-150 UDO’s and several of those were in Virginia. The process began in September and it’s almost a complete document in less than a year, including the procedures manual. Many UDO’s take two to five years to complete. He explained that the UDO is a roadmap to the zoning ordinance. Mr. Meadows presented a PowerPoint presentation to discuss the milestones, major changes, the nine articles, the and the Procedures Manual. (See attached). Councilor Paolucci asked for clarification on the subdivision agent and whether that was a new position. Mr. Ocel stated that subdivision agent was a term from the state code and this would not be a new position and that it’s currently being handled by Kevin Utt. Councilor Howe asked for clarification on the appeals process for special exceptions. Mr. Meadows stated that the appeals process would be handled through a group outside the City it would be a State Board. Mr. Ocel explained that if someone wanted to appeal they would appeal it to the court. Mr. Meadows also noted that there are some procedural changes that they are suggesting, like subdivision review. Currently subdivisions are being reviewed by Council and the consultants are suggesting it be handled by the administrator as many other communities are doing. Vice-Mayor Ellis expressed his concern that he would like to make sure there was some way to ensure issues are corrected such as driveway lengths and street widths. Mr. Ocel explained that the final subdivision plan was tied to the preliminary and everything must be correct before it’s finalized. Councilor Kelly noted that as part of the historic preservation it was passed that historic preservation would be apart of every step but it’s only mentioned as information request only in one case and he said he would like to see it incorporated more to address historic assets in the special use permit, rezoning, and special exceptions. He would like to see on the applications who and why the decisions were. Mr. Meadows stated that we are now seeing higher density housing because of the tight economy. He said that the city was moving into more of a mixed use development and that it’s easier to serve that type of development. Councilor Kelly said as long as it’s by a special use permit and not by-right, he would not have a problem with it. Mr. Ocel stated that mixed use developments were by special use permits. In regards to duplex parking standards, Council requested that they be raised to discourage additional tenants. City Manager Cameron asked what kind of comments were 2 received from the Steering Committee. Mr. Meadows said there weren’t many comments or questions. They liked the provision that allowed flexibility and they were content with that. Mr. Meadows reviewed the procedures manual and Mr. Howe stated that he would like to see all fees related to water and sewer included in the manual because it is such a huge issue. He suggested including any and all fees in the document. Mayor Greenlaw said the document was very impressive and it went through a great process. Mr. Ocel stated the next steps would be a public hearing on November 13 and a second work session on November 27. Adjournment. There being no further business to come before the Council at this time, Mayor Greenlaw declared the work session officially adjourned at 6:54 p.m. Tonya B. Lacey Tonya B. Lacey Clerk of Council City of Fredericksburg 3