• Public hearings were held before the Planning Commission in November and December, 2010.
• The Comprehensive Planning Committee, a subcommittee of the Planning Commission, reviewed public testimony and considered changes to the proposed text amendments and property rezonings.
• Visit the Comprehensive Planning Committee website to view materials considered by the committee.
• The Planning Commission considered the final recommendations of the Comprehensive Planning Committee at their March 4th meeting. A meeting packet with the recommendations is posted on the Planning Commission website.
• The Planning Commission passed a resolution recommending adoption of the text amendments and property rezonings on March 4, 2011.
• A public hearing will be held at City Council on Wednesday, April 6, regarding the Planning Commission recommendations. See the following links for more information:

                Study overview
                Public hearing notice
                Planning Commission Resolution
                Zoning Code text amendments
                Map of property rezonings
                Cover memo and background information

• Three amendments were introduced at the April 13 City Council meeting. The amendments were substantive and will require a public hearing. The hearing on the amendments only will be held April 20th at 5:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. 

                4/13/11 amendment to proposed Zoning Code text amendments
                4/13/11 amendments to proposed property rezonings
                Revised map of property rezonings

• Following the April 20 public hearing, the City Council voted to adopt the Central Corridor and Traditional Neighborhood Zoning Study recommendations and the amendments introduced at the April 13 meeting. The ordinance will take effect 30 days following publication in the Legal Leger.  

The adopted ordinance was published in the Legal Leger on May 5, 2011 and will go into effect on June 4, 2011.
                Adopted ordinance
                Attachment A - text amendments
                Attachment B - map amendments
                Map - Adopted April 20, 2011

The direction for the Central Corridor/Traditional Neighborhood zoning study came out of the Central Corridor Development Strategy (CCDS) and the creation of the Central Corridor Overlay District. It was determined during the CCDS process that the City's toolbox of existing zoning districts and requirements would not facilitate the type of development envisioned for University Avenue, where the goal is to have higher density development, a reduced demand for parking and more of a pedestrian- and transit-oriented environment. The zoning study was initiated by the Planning Commission resolution that also directed the development of station area plans for the stations along the University Avenue portion of the light rail line.

Central Corridor Overlay District
The Central Corridor Overlay District was designed to provide interim requirements along the Central Corridor route until there was adequate time to undertake a more comprehensive study. The City's existing mixed use zoning districts, Traditional Neighborhood (TN) 1, 2, and 3, generally would facilitate the type of development that is desired along University Avenue. However, these districts are not a perfect fit and there is a need for some revisions to the requirements to provide better tools to facilitate the type of development envisioned in the City's adopted plans for Central Corridor. The TN districts were first added to the Zoning Code in 2004, and are used in several locations throughout the city. Given the City's six year experience with the TN districts, this study is also an opportunity to make changes to the existing regulations in these districts so they better meet the goal of facilitating good, mixed use development wherever these districts are used in the city.

Study Overview

The study will be completed in two phases:

Phase I - Amendments to Zoning Regulations
This phase includes an evaluation of the existing TN districts, the identification of potential issues, and an informal public review and comment period. It is estimated that the Planning Commission public hearing for Phase I will be held in the fall of 2010.

Phase II - Property Rezoning
This phase will include a determination of the study area for property rezonings, developing parcel-specific recommendations for appropriate zoning classifications based on the adopted CCDS and station area plans, and public input and formal review. It is estimated that the Planning Commission public hearing for Phase II will be held in fall of 2010, complete in spring of 2011 and property rezonings adopted in summer of 2011.

Powerpoint presentation of proposed changes 10/8/10 (4.4 MB)
Traditional Neighborhood Experience to Date
Comparison of key requirements by zoning district
Proposed Zoning Code Text Amendments 10/15/10
Draft Proposed Zoning Map Within the Central Corridor Area of Change 9/28/10 (2 MB)
Planning for the Central Corridor 2006-2010: summary of planning project milestones
Existing Zoning Map
Key points of the study

Contact Sarah Zorn at: or 651-266-6570