02-20-2024 Planning Commission Packet

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To: Chair Bollis and Planning Commission Members Adam Edwards, City Administrator From: Laura Oakden, Community Development Director Date: February 20, 2024 Subject: #LA24-000005, City of Orono Text Amendment: Phase 1 of the City's Recodification of City Code Applicution Sunzrnary: The City of Orono is proposing ordinance updates consisting of housekeeping edits, language updates, and clarification of existing City Code involving multiple Staff RecohiT�iendation: Planning Department Staff recommends approval of the draft language as written. Background Recodification is a process that includes a thorough and full legal review of the City's municipal code to ensure that all provisions are comprehensive, lawful, and enforceable. Itis recommended that a legal review of the municipal code be conducted every 1045 years to address the needs of the City's stakeholders. The City Code was last republished in 2003. In 2022, the city initiated the current recodification project of the City Code. To begin this process, Municode (the city's code publication vendor) completed an initial chapter -by -chapter review. Orono staff tools the results of Municode's review and over the past 18 months conducted our own chapter -by -chapter review of the code to include for updates. The Staff reviews were followed by review by the City Attorney. Proposed Updates for review: Changes to the zoning regulations require review by the Planning Commission at a public hearing. Planning commission should review the following changes and provide feedback: • Section 78-5 o This Chapter lists a history of every adopted Comprehensive Plan and Comprehensive Plan amendments. This is unnecessary and is often quickly out of date. Staff is recommending removal of this unnecessary section. • Sections 78-230 through 420 o Staff found an error within the 2-acre zoning districts (LR-lA and RR-1B) that is inconsistent the intent of the side yard setback exception. Staff is proposing to fix this error and other typographic errors (grammatical and spelling errors) found within this same section in each residential zoning district. • Section 784405 o Staff is proposing to add a definition of "fence monuments" and add clarifying language to the existing fence regulations. Other changes include renumbering and organizing within this section. • 784431 through 1440 o In 2022, the Council adopted new ordinance language pertaining to accessory dwelling units (A Us). Many of the changes proposed within this section necessary to be consistent with newly adopted ordinances. This includes removing the need to a covenant for oversized accessory buildings, clarifying the triggers for a covenant regarding plumbing in an accessory building, as well as organizational and numbering changes.