21 - Council Liaison to Paris Development Code P&Z SubcommitteeItem No. 21
TO: Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, City Council
Grayson Path, City Manager
FROM: Andrew Mack, AICP Director Planning & Community Development
SUBJECT: Discuss and Appoint Council Liaisons to Paris Development Code P&Z
Subcommittee
MTG. DATE: February 27, 2023
BACKGROUND
At its 2/6/23 meeting, the Planning & Zoning Commission discussed and formed a sub-
committee consisting of 2 members to undertake a process to consolidate the Zoning and
Subdivision Ordinances and other development design standards into a unified development
code to be known as the Paris Development Code. The first organizing meeting is scheduled
for Thursday March 2nd at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers.
Why a Develo . ment Code
A Development Code, which include traditional zoning and subdivision regulations and other
city design standards, is a tool cities use to determine what is allowed to be built where. It
generally regulates things like use (what can be done on a property), height (how tall a
building can be), massing (how much three-dimensional space and lot coverage a building
can occupy) and setbacks (how close the edges of a building can be to the property lines and
other structures). It is also a mechanism for balancing competing private property interests.
Achieving these goals depends on how well the development code aligns with the
comprehensive plan, whether the code is up-to-date and relevant, ease for officials to
interpret and administer, and clear for developers and the general public to understand and
follow.
A Zoning Ordinance says, in summary, how a piece of land can be used. A Subdivision
Ordinance says, in summary, how a piece of land can be divided into smaller pieces or
combined into larger pieces, and to create a legal building parcel. These two sets of rules
determine the shape of the city and what individuals can do with their property.
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The City of Paris is working to combine and mesh these two sets of rules into a single
Development Code to be known as the Paris Development Code (PDC).
Updating the land use regulations in this way will help the City of Paris implement all S
points set forth in the City's Comprehensive Plan Purpose Section.
Specifically the plan sets forth the following to ensure strategic goals can be attained:
• Paris' existing Zoning Ordinance was initially adopted in 1945, and it has been
amended many times.
• There are new types of land use not addressed by the current ordinance.
• The ordinance is difficult for infrequent users to understand.
• It can be improved by adding clear charts, tables and illustrations.
• Updates are needed to address the mixed use properties and other new ideas proposed
in the City's Comprehensive Plan.
The existing Subdivision Ordinance was adopted in 1974, and it has been amended many
times since adoption.
The current Subdivision Ordinance's processes must be updated to reflect current state law.
It contains sections that could be better aligned with the Zoning Ordinance. A Unified
Development Code or the PDC will:
• Share a common definition section.
• Combine issues, such as landscaping and setback discussions, into a single set of rules.
• Place all related regulations into a single ordinance, eliminating duplication of
resources while making it clear and easier to find all in one organized set of
regulations.
Purpose and Goals
The purpose of this PDC is to unify the City's development regulations into a single
document and to reduce repetition and conflict among various ordinances. Additionally, the
PDC will be intended to implement the City of Paris Comprehensive Plan, Downtown Plans,
Water and Wastewater plans and any other City adopted plans. The PDC will consolidate
the regulations pertaining to land use and development and make the City's regulations and
requirements more convenient to access, use, distribute, and read.
Purpose of Engineering Standard Details (ESD) is to provide Developers, Engineers and
Architects the option to have pre -approved detail standards for their construction projects to
expedite the review process, provide minimum standards and have uniformity in the design
and construction of developments within the City of Paris. It will also save cost to developers
by standardizing certain types of construction thereby no longer requiring the same to be
designed every time by the developer or general contractor's engineer.
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The purpose of the Technical Standards Manual (TSM) is to establish standard principles
and practices for the design and construction within the City of Paris, Texas and its
exterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ).
PARIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN GOALS
The City of Paris Comprehensive Plan: A Vision for the Future, was adopted in 2001 and
updated in 2018. This plan defines a shared vision for the city's future that can only be
achieved by taking deliberate action.
Among other things, the plan encourages the City to:
"Change the process to add new land uses to the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance by
ordinance."
"Connect the subdivision regulations directly to the Master Thoroughfare Plan to ensure
the city's authority to enforce ROW dedications and other needed improvements for plan
implementation" .
"Create regulations for commercial RV parks"
"Ensure all changes to the Zoning District Map conform to the Future Land Use Plan."
"Implement a Healthy Creeks & Lakes policy to include proper erosion hazard setbacks
and defined regulations for floodplain development."
"Establish standards for accessory dwelling units, "tiny" houses, and container structures;
and to re -consider the approach to residential -design manufactured housing."
"Improve the Planned Development process to ensure they are large functional zoning
units as intended by PD principles."
"Review land uses allowed in General Retail and Commercial, providing improved
differentiation between the two overlapping zoning districts."
"Expand subdivision regulations to include reasonable landscaping requirements."
"Study and revise paving standards as necessary to be practical and consistent."
"Establish and enforce specific design standards, consistent with the planning
recommendations from the 2001 Comprehensive Plan."
"Move tree landscaping requirements from the Tree Ordinance to the subdivision
regulations."
City's Comprehensive Plan Summary, Page 34-36
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Of the 42 implementation recommendations, 26 items would be directly addressed or
implemented with the adoption of a Uniform Development Code.
The PDC, along with the Development Manual, Technical Design Manual and the
Engineering Details lays out the process for all developments and redevelopments in the city
of Paris. Providing all the details developers would need to complete their projects. The
Development Code has addressed numerous questions the Building, Planning, Fire,
Engineering and Public Works departments have received, providing a uniformed approach
and procedure for each. The total document will also be provided to assist all developments
up front in the pre -development stages of each project to help create consistency and
eliminate surprises on development requirements at the beginning of the process.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that Council discuss and appoint 2-3 members to serve on the Paris
Development Code P&Z Sub -committee.
The PDC will perform their work, the timeline is TBD, and will present their
recommendations to the City Council for review, consideration, and approval.
Attachments: Project Overview & Issues Summary
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