Disclaimer: The information in this email is not provided by nor sanctioned by the City of Mobile--with the exception of the meeting announcement--or by any neighborhood organization other than the Govt St Collaborative. It has been developed by midtown and downtown area neighbors in the GSC. It is presented as a courtesy, but you are encouraged to attend the meeting and draw your own conclusions.
Please share meeting announcement in groups you are associated with.
IMPORTANT ZONING MEETING! Jan. 23rd, 2:00-4:00 p.m., Gov't Plaza Multipurpose Room
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE YEAR-LONG REVISION OF MOBILE'S ZONING CODE!
THIS IS THE FIRST REWRITE SINCE THE 1960'S SO THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MEETING FOR OUR CITY AND FOR ALL OF US IN MIDTOWN/DOWNTOWN AND HISTORIC AREAS!
The Government Street Collaborative, along with
historic districts, requested the meeting with the City
Planning Dept. last year. This may be the only chance
we have to discuss this important Ordinance face to
face with city representatives, who have committed to
a Q&A segment after an overview of the draft.
The new zoning ordinance draft is due to be released
about January 21-22, 2019. While Jan. 23rd is our
community resident meeting, you can expect,
probably on Jan. 22nd, a meeting with the Mayor's
appointed Technical Advisory Committee, which the
public may attend but may not participate in. Watch
for announcements of that meeting, which can serve
as a good preview before the community meeting on
Jan. 23rd.
While the general public has not yet seen the text of the official first draft, we tracked the formulation stages last year and can assume the following key points, (not all-inclusive), which we hope we can confirm and further clarify on January 23rd:
1. The current code was one based almost solely on "use" restrictions, meaning a category of uses was assigned to a parcel and any operational use fitting in that category was allowed. There were some minimal site plan requirements as (parking spaces, curb cuts, landscaping, dumpsters, etc.)
2. The new code was presented last year as a "hybrid" code in which the major restrictions are for newer, more extensive design standards, with fewer or more minimal restrictions and less emphasis related to "uses."
3. We were told last year that the Mobile Hist. Devel. Commission would continue to function in exactly the same way it currently does for historic properties and districts. It is essential that we insure this and perhaps even demand strengthened standards under the MHDC umbrella.
4. A pre-development meeting, we are told, will be required for "new projects" (which needs to be clearly defined), in which developers will meet with sanctioned resident groups to present the plan and receive resident input. It is our understanding that agreements on either side are not legally binding at this phase. This meeting is a positive aspect of the new Code, but see below.*
5. A cursory assessment of this new ordinance leads us to believe that it is crucial that the Code contain, clearly and in writing, both the extent of and the procedure for adding operational or use restrictions/criteria specific to the proposal to insure a project is appropriate for a neighborhood, as defined by:
contributing to quality of surrounding residential neighborhood life;
avoiding nuisances;
honoring safety;
protecting historic value and residential investments;
preserving or improving the character and atmosphere of a neighborhood.
6. It seems reasonable to fold these issues and procedures into the pre-development stage & meeting, *provided the Code is written so that these agreements are memorialized in writing, submitted to the city and both parties, and if sanctioned by the city, then carry the weight of Code rather than simply reflecting a "gentleman's agreement."
Please attend the meeting. The Ordinance will be posted to the Build Mobile/Planning website for a public input period in which citizens and groups may submit input in writing. That will be an important second stage of this process.
