TOWN HALL MEETING on the Jacksonville Development Code Revision

Please Join Us for a Series of Town Halls! – by Ian Foster, Planning Director, City of Jacksonville 

Over the past couple of years, your Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) tasked with reviewing and updating the City’s Development Code has been hard at work carefully reviewing and revising the draft document. The project is a city initiative to clarify and improve regulations for development within the city, including the rules for modifications to existing structures, new construction, the division of land, and historic protections. We are at a point in this project where we want to share with you some of the key changes and major updates proposed with the new draft. We also want to hear from you as we are still in the draft phase.

Why are we doing this?—The current Development Code is long overdue for an update. The current version is inconsistent (sometimes even on the same page) and lacks clear standards. This leads to confusion among the public, practitioners, staff, and the hearing bodies responsible for its administration. Ultimately, the inconsistencies and lack of clarity are risky for the city.

How can I provide input?—We want you to be involved in the process. Through the combination of our website specifically crafted for this project: jacksonvillecodeupdate.com, open CAC meetings that are also available on demand on the City’s website, or through a series of townhalls, we want your input.

Over the next few months, please join the CAC and members of the Committee for Citizen Involvement (CCI) for a series of townhall events for an in-depth review of the CAC’s work so far. This will be an opportunity for you to ask questions and to provide feedback. Here are the details:

• Wednesday, October 19, 2022, 5:30pm
• Wednesday, November 9, 2022, 6pm
• Wednesday, December 14, 2022, 5:30pm

All sessions will be located in the New City Hall Assembly Room, 206 North Fifth Street, Jacksonville, OR.

October 19: Introduction to the Project. The discussion will begin with an overview of the revised “permitted use” table. Staff will highlight key discussion points such as drive through services, home occupations, and short-term vacation rentals.

November 9: Design and Site Development Standards: This session will focus on site development requirements. Topics will include setbacks, landscape, parking, fence, solar, and sign standards.

December 14: Environmental & Constrained Lands: This session will focus on environmental requirements, to include riparian and wetland requirements, as well as tree removal requirements, and the Urban Wildland Interface.

This is the first series of town hall events. The CCI in coordination with the CAC will continue to host sessions as we move forward with the revision process. You can see more information and provide comments by visiting jacksonvillecodeupdate.com.