City outlines phased Unified Development Code rewrite, schedules public outreach through 2026

City staff and the consultant presented a phased plan to update the Unified Development Code (UDC), describing six overlapping phases of drafting, department review, stakeholder meetings and council workshops designed to conclude with a single, citywide adoption rather than piecemeal approvals.

Why this matters: The UDC update will replace the combined zoning and subdivision rules that have governed development since the prior UDC adoption and will affect permitting, subdivisions, zoning tables, development standards and administrative processes; changes will influence how development and projects are approved across the city for years.

What staff told council

Staff said White, Smith and Casino (consultant team) delivered an initial draft; staff and legal then reviewed it and met with city departments to shape technical standards. Jeff Fisher, identified in the meeting as the system director who is overseeing the update, described the six-phase schedule and said the first drafts and two departmental review cycles are already under way. He told council the final ordinance would likely be brought forward late next year under a schedule that assumes some revisions: "the final ordinance wouldn't be brought forward ... like, the fall or the end of next year," Fisher said.

The six-phase approach separates topics (sign regulations; roles and procedures and administrative approvals; subdivision technical standards; zoning district and use-table updates; specific-use standards; development standards) and staggers review so community stakeholders and departments can digest sections in sequence. Staff emphasized they will not attempt piecemeal adoptions during the phase process; instead, the city plans at least two full briefings before one formal adoption so the public receives a single notice of change citywide.

Public notice and outreach

Staff noted state law and local practice require mailed notice when zoning or the UDC changes; the presentation said the city will notify every address in the city for the final UDC adoption. Stakeholder meetings, department meetings and public workshops are scheduled in the coming months, including a first stakeholders meeting two weeks after the workshop and planned council workshops around Nov. 19 and a council meeting on Dec. 3 next year as potential hearing dates in the worst-case timeline.

Process and intent

Staff framed the approach as intentionally incremental to allow for departmental input and public outreach, with multiple drafts, two department meetings per draft and stakeholder workshops before each major phase. Fisher and staff said the intent is to produce a durable code for the next decade while allowing time for adjustments required by new state laws and local priorities.

Ending

Staff asked council to expect periodic workshop briefings and to direct questions about timing or content to staff; no final ordinance was presented at the workshop and no vote was taken.