County to hold public workshop on its changing development review process
Proposed changes to Manatee County’s guidelines for reviewing development will be available for discussion with the public early next year.
The revisions of Manatee County’s Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan are planned to be finalized by September 2018, but before that can happen the public will have an opportunity to review proposed changes online and ask questions during a workshop from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Downtown Central Library, 1301 Barcarrota Blvd. W.
The purpose of the review is to cut out repetitions and clean up inconsistencies between the two documents.
“Our land development code and comp plan are somewhat convoluted and difficult for citizens and developers to understand. With this scope of work we’re trying to make things more consistent, streamlined, more easily understood and more predictable,” county planning manager Lisa Barrett said in a press release.
Anyone interested in reviewing the proposed changes can visit the county’s website at mymanatee.org and search for “Pending Land Use Regulation Amendments.”
The county retained Pat Tyjeski of Orlando-based engineering firm Littlejohn to help with the analysis and proposals. Some suggestions include reviewing density and intensity levels so they coordinate with the county’s growth expectations, picking out which provisions really need special approvals and taking another look at the process for planned development.
While the focus is to facilitate the process, considerations will still be maintained for natural resource protection, public facilities and adjacent land uses.
Other changes to be discussed include how the county is planning for sea level rise, its sign ordinance and regulations on allowing “residential accessory dwelling units,” which are separate and liveable add-ons to homes.
Hannah Morse: 941-745-7055, @mannahhorse
If you go
What: Public workshop to review proposed changes to the Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan
When: Jan. 17, 2018 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Downtown Central Library Auditorium, 1301 Barcarrota Blvd. W.
This story was originally published December 13, 2017 at 1:51 PM with the headline "County to hold public workshop on its changing development review process."