Clayton planning commission begins overhaul of UDO to align with new state requirements

The Town of Clayton Planning Commission opened a multi-month review of its Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to comply with recent state rule changes. The chair said state requirements now ask towns to report annually on permit activity and housing metrics and warned that where the UDO already permits a use, the town cannot require an additional approval process.

"If the UDO said you're allowed to do a granny flat or an accessory dwelling unit...we can't make them go through an approval process if it already says they're allowed to do that," the chair said, explaining that the state emphasized removing discretionary barriers when a use is plainly allowed by the UDO.

Commission members noted the new requirements will increase reporting duties for staff (the chair referenced a packet of about 45 reporting items that Pete will need to track). They also flagged a statutory change affecting planning oversight of indoor shooting ranges; the commission said it will track that change as part of the UDO edits.

The commission plans to continue review of redlined changes in packets provided by staff and aims to hold a public hearing on the UDO revisions later in the year, after which the town council will host its own hearing and consider formal adoption. No adoption vote occurred at this meeting.