Commission reviews private comp‑plan amendment to reclassify parcel as Uptown Mixed Use

The Milton Planning Commission reviewed a private application seeking to change a parcel’s future land‑use designation from urban residential multifamily (URM) to Uptown Mixed Use (UMX) so zoning and future land use would match adjacent properties.

Staff reported the applicant (same owner of the adjacent Surprise Lake Plaza) seeks to make the two parcels consistent to permit multifamily or mixed‑use redevelopment; staff recommended the change because surrounding parcels already carry similar designations and because the proposal would combine the future land‑use map change with a zoning action next month.

Commissioners asked for clarification on the differences between URM and UMX: UMX carries greater height allowances (an example of an extra 20 feet was cited), different setback and density expectations, and fewer required perimeter landscaping items under certain circumstances. Questions focused on design guidelines, buffering between higher‑density and adjacent residential areas, and whether town‑mixed‑use standards would address perimeter landscaping and parking requirements.

Manager Stallenecker explained that because the request involves both a comprehensive‑plan amendment and a zoning change, state rules make the action legislative rather than quasi‑judicial, meaning it proceeds through the planning commission and council rather than as an applicant‑specific quasi‑judicial review.

No final decision was made; staff will return with zoning materials tied to the comp‑plan change and the item will move forward to hearings as required.