Title
***ITEM REVISED (SEE ATTACHED MEMO)*** Public Hearing - Amend City Code - Ordinance Adoption - Downtown Code Z-TA-5-22-4-7-8 (Ordinance G-7330) - Districts 4, 7 & 8
Description
Request to hold a public hearing on a proposed text amendment Z-TA-5-22-4-7-8 and to request City Council approval per the Planning Commission recommendation which amends the following sections of the Phoenix Zoning Ordinance, as follows: 1) Revise and clarify provisions in Chapters 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 regarding definitions; variance and Design Review appeal processes, and to address how other sections interact with Chapter 12 (Downtown Code): Section 201 (Rules of Construction), Section 202 (Definitions), Section 307.A (Authority and duties of the Zoning Administrator), Section 507 (Development Review Approval), Section 669 (Arts, Culture, and Small Business Overlay District), Section 702 (Off-Street Parking and Loading), and Section 703 (Landscaping, Fences and Walls); 2) add a new Section 312 to Chapter 3 to create the Technical Appeals Committee; and 3) repeal and replace Chapter 12 (Downtown Code) with revised and clarified text.
Report
Summary
The intent of the proposed text amendment is to update development requirements, fix process issues, eliminate ordinance conflicts, and clarify the language of the Downtown Code, while still implementing the vision of the Downtown Phoenix Urban Form Project (DPUFP). It does so by amending related sections of the Zoning Ordinance to work better with Chapter 12, as well as rewriting Chapter 12 entirely (based upon the existing language and format) for ease of understanding and layout. No changes to property entitlements (i.e. height, density, lot coverage) have been proposed with this text amendment, except for the correction of some identified errors and typos. However, some development standards and sustainability bonus points have been revised not only to eliminate conflicts and confusion, but also to better implement the pedestrian-oriented environment envisioned by the DPUFP. The proposed text amendment also creates a new Technical Appeal process for certain technical requirements, and clarifies and revises existing appeal processes with the goal of eliminating instances when requesting a modification to a single requirement that requires two separate and unrelated appeal processes as detailed in the Staff Report and Addendum A Staff Report (Attachments B and C).
Applicant: City of Phoenix, Planning Commission
Representative: City of Phoenix, Planning and Development Department
Staff Recommendation: Approval of Z-TA-5-22-4-7-8 as shown in Exhibits A and B of the Addendum A Staff Report (Attachment C).
VPC Info: The Encanto Village Planning Committee heard this item on August 5, 2024, for information only and the Central City Village Planning Committee heard this item on August 12, 2024, for information only (Attachment D).
VPC Action: The Encanto Village Planning Committee heard this item on September 9, 2024, and recommended approval, per the staff recommendation, by a vote of 9-1. The Central City Village Planning Committee heard this item on September 9, 2024, and recommended approval, per the staff recommendation, by a vote of 12-0 (Attachment D).
PC Info: The Planning Commission heard this item on September 5, 2024, for information only.
PC Action: The Planning Commission heard this item on October 10, 2024, and continued the item to November 7, 2024, by a vote of 4-3. The Planning Commission heard this item on November 7, 2024, and recommended approval, per the staff recommendation in the Addendum A Staff Report, by a vote of 9-0 (Attachment E).
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Alan Stephenson and the Planning and Development Department.