Lineberry Alliance Blogs

Last week, Raleigh City Council decided to move forward with the drafting of the new development code that is an action item from the adoption of 2030 Comprehensive Plan. The Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) provides the opportunity to rehash and rethink the current approach to development and will remove existing barriers to infill development, allowing the city to curb urban sprawl and build for a more transit-friendly city.

There are lots of opportunities for citizens to participate in the new development code process, but not many are taking advantage of it. One barrier is the complexity of the issues. Another is the fact that making law and code just isn’t sexy to most people. Since the new development code will become law, you have a chance to have a say in it. Essentially, you have a chance to make a law for the city of Raleigh. Look for announcements about future workshops, public hearings, and charrettes that you can participate in.

A citizen panel is trying to help bridge the gap between complex planning code and draw attention to big issues, like how we transition from dense development to single-family neighborhoods and if form-based zoning is right for Raleigh. One great resources is the New Raleigh Code, CAC and neighborhood workgroup website, where you can discuss the process, the recommendations, and see a calendar of events.

Here is the announcement from city council with additional details

CITY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH DRAFTING NEW DEVELOPMENT CODE

The Raleigh City Council has authorized consultant Code Studio to move forward with drafting a new development code for the Capital City. Council members approved the request at its evening meeting on May 4.

Code Studio has completed collecting input from the public and from City commissions and boards on a draft Diagnostic & Approach Report, also known as the Coding Approach Report. The Diagnostic & Approach Report identifies inconsistencies and gaps between the City’s current development code and the City’s new Comprehensive Plan. It proposes different approaches and potential solutions for the new development code. The public can download a copy of the Diagnostic & Approach Report by visiting www.newraleighcode.com.

The new development code, also referred to as the Unified Development Ordinance, will implement goals, policies and actions in the City’s Comprehensive Plan, which was updated and approved by the City Council last fall. The City is preparing a new development code that addresses contemporary development and zoning practices, and is easily understood by administrators, the public and the development community.

Additional public meetings will be scheduled to get citizen input on the new development code.  A final draft of the code is expected to be given to the City Council in June 2011 for its review and consideration.

For more information about the preparation process for the new development code, contact Christine Darges in the City of Raleigh Department of City Planning at 516-2634 or Christine.darges@raleighnc.gov.

Tags: 2030, charrette, community, form-based zoning, growth, newraleighcode, new_code, participation, planning, raleigh, udo, zoning

This entry was posted on Monday, May 10th, 2010 at 7:00 am and is filed under DDNA, Lineberry Alliance, Raleigh Planning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.