Tomorrow night (Monday) the City Council is hearing public testimony, and apparently will vote on, Ordinance O-35-17. This ordinance would overhaul the development review process by inserting more transparency (beefing up the notification requirements), offering additional opportunity for public input, and would send major site design plan applications to the Planning Commission for a public hearing. This is good! And your support is needed! Last time it was mostly developers out to testify against it, with only a few there in support.

Alan Hyatt submitted proposed amendments, and Aldermen Arnett and Budget submitted their own amendments and incorporated some of Hyatt's proposals. Some of the proposed amendments concern me.  One of Hyatt's would weaken the ordinance by not sending major site design applications to the Planning Commission (though such a hearing could be requested by the Director). That said, if the Planning Commission thinks it would be too burdensome, it may need to be reconsidered. Another proposed amendment by both parties, which I disagree with, is to add a grandfathering provision so that these changes would not apply to any development that has an application submitted. This should be dropped and replaced as I detail below. 

I already testified at the last City Council meeting, but I encourage others to have their voices heard on this. I have a few recommended amendments: