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Memorandum
* ~HICTo~
To: Planning and Community Development Committee
From: Planning, Building, and Community Department
Date: March 2, 2010
Re: Introduction and discussion of a new proposed code section related to master plans
Planning Department staff has had some informal conversations with a couple of institutions located
with the city and these institutions are currently considering or beginning a process for master
planning their campus and facilities. Currently, the City does not have any master plan standards and
regulations in its Code. With your concurrence, staff would propose preparing draft master plan regulations forfuture policy consideration by the City Council.
Staff has talked about the master planning code provision and believes it could be one of the City's
tools in its economic development toolbox. In other jurisdictions, master planning is used for large
scale commercial, industrial and institutional projects (e.g. shopping centers, business parks,
colleges, churches). A master plan would be a detailed plan thatwould address building locations and
types, parking areas, landscape areas, internal roadway and pedestrian improvements and
streets/utilities. The basic premise is that with master plan code section is to front load the
coordination with planning and engineering reviews and approvals so that once the master plan is approved and the environmental review is completed, an applicant could literally come
in and only
have to apply for a building permit. The exact nature of the subsequent approvals would depend on
already having completed the environmental process (SEPA} and dependant on the level of detail of
the master plan. It is envisioned that the City Council would adopt code provisions that would
provide for the master plan to be approved by the Hearing Examiner.
Before beginning this effort staff would like to introduce the topic, discuss and gain some initial
feedback. Staff is currently looking at some code examples from other jurisdictions.
Typical elements of a master plan code section include:
• Definitions that provide for different levels of detail of the master plans based on the time
period into the future and amount of phasing. Coordinate the level of approval with the level
of detail provided in the plan.
• Development standards applicable to master plan sites.
• Requirement for a public participation process associated with master plan development
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• The plan must address timeframe /phasing.
• Elements required to be included in the prepared Master Plans (such as land use, circulation, utilities, etc.)
• Set forth a process for review for consistency after adoption of the master plan at the time of
development of individual buildings or phases.
• Process for modifications to approved master plans.
• Process for extension of approved master plans.
The following is a list of some of the most apparent advantages and disadvantages of a new code
section providing for adoption of master plans.
Advantages:
• The code can be an economic development incentive to the extent it provides some vesting
to development regulations.
• Encourages property owners that are performing long-range planning to share information on
their planning efforts early and involve the city and the community in the process.
• Promotes coordination of infrastructure (roads and utilities} needed to support development
with the long range planning of public and private projects.
• Promotes the orderly progression of larger scale development over time.
• Permits local property owners, HOA's and businesses to evaluate the cumulative impacts
associated with build out of large-scale developments and to provide input on design,
development standards, and conditions to ensure compatibility and protect character.
Disadvantages:
• Property owners pursuing master planning may be reluctant to share information related to future property acquisitions before there are property commitments.
• Uncertainty in predicting neighborhood and regulatory circumstances into the future,
depending on the length of the master plan approval.
• Recent transplant property owners, HOA's and businesses may not have the advantage of
participating in previous master plan processes that have been conducted.
If there are any questions priorto the committee meeting on March 8, 2010 please contact Jeff Dixon
at 253-804-5033 or jdixon@auburnwa.gov.
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