Agenda - Planning Commission - 12/06/2007

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address those elements of the district that define its character or context, including building form, established patterns of circula- tion, and pedestrian orientation. On the other hand, when a community has significant greenfield development, the process must be tuned to its responsibility to establish a char- acter for new areas. If the desire is to estab- lish mixed use traditional development, the site plan review process must also include review of the planning policies behind such a traditional development pattern. The second factor is the type of develop- ment regulations already in place. A traditional Euclidean ordinance will not address form and context regulations, while a form-based code or hybrid code (where form-based and traditional controls are mixed) will require a review that addresses development in a more three-dimen- sional context. The regulations in place are important because they help determine the scope of ordinance review-who should review the ordinances, what type of expertise is needed, and what types of development appli- cations should be reviewed. Site plan review has evolved in response to a growing interest in form-based zoning, anti- monotony regulations, design guidelines in zon- ing ordinances, and the increased attention paid to building form and scale in development regulations. In recent years, site plan review has come to include reviews of building form and scale-a review that takes place within a three- dimensional context. For a built out community, the review process proves invaluable as it assesses whether or not a proposal is the proper type of in fill development O.e., sensitive to its neighbors and to its larger context). Site plan review can bridge the gap between by-right development with no review and evaluation by a design review commission. WHAT GETS REVIEWED? The first step in setting up the process is stipu- lating what should be reviewed. There are a number of different options based upon the type of development typically seen in the municipality and the reach of the regulations. Some communities require all building permits and. planned unit developments to be reviewed, whether single-family residential or commercial, while others exempt single-family and two-fam- ily developments. Some require all special use penmits to receive site plan review. In other cases, it may be that all development within a certain district should be reviewed. The commu- assess the impact of calls for service to the site. The planner must then convey the community's considerations and concerns in an organized way to the developer. Often, the site plan review process begins with staff prior to a formal initia- tion of the process with the approval body. Depending on the guidelines and devel- opment regulations in place, the review body must have the right expertise to assess the development applications. When a municipality adopts a form-based or hybrid code, it becomes especially important for the site plan reviewer to understand and assess the form and design cri- teria included in the development regulations. When a municipality adopts a form-based or hybrid code, it becomes especially important for the site plan reviewer to understand and assess the form and design criteria included in the development regulations. nity should make this decision based upon development trends, staff capacity, and the types of regulations in place. WHO DOES THE REVIEWING? Site plans arrive at the staff planner's desk first, and it is the planner who moves the applIcation through the review process, including securing the input of other professionals. Additional municipal staff must review other aspects of the development-including the municipal engi- neer, who deals with traffic, stormwater man- agement, and utility issues; the parks depart- ment, which considers overall plantings as well as microclimate; and police and fire, which must review site access and circulation and Some of the options for site plan review responsibilities include the following: . Because site plan review often falls to the staff, an internal site plan review committee can be made up of those staff members that deal with the various elements of the site, including the zoning administrator, municipal manager, planners, chief engineer, and building official. . Some communities vest responsibility with the plan commission, which is charged with implementation of the comprehensive plan and municipal planning policy and is there- fore able to review the application in light of those policies as well as some technical detail. Staff is usually asked to assist in the technical review of the application. ZONING PRACTICE 11.07 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I pale 1