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HomeMy WebLinkAboutConstituent Letter - Mail Packet - 1/24/2023 - 11 - Letter From Mayor Jeni Arndt To Economic Advisory Board Re: Land Development Code Mayor City Hall 300 LaPorte Ave. PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.416.2154 970.224.6107 - fax fcgov.com January 19, 2023 Economic Advisory Board c/o Jillian Fresa, Staff Liaison PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 Dear Chair Walkup, Vice-Chair Parks and Board Members, Thank you for writing to City Council and me with your January 12, 2023 memorandum regarding changes to the Fort Collins Land Development Code (LDC) and your recommendation to repeal it to give City staff and residents the opportunity to further engage on refining the Code. We appreciate your time in reviewing the LDC fact sheet and outlining your perspectives on housing capacity, diversity and affordability, and the user experience in the application of the Code. Thank you for your service to the community and the Economic Advisory Board. We are grateful for your dedication and expertise. Sincerely, Jeni Arndt Mayor /sek cc: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager SeonAh Kendall, Economic Health Director Economic Health Office 300 LaPorte Avenue PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6505 970.224.6107 – fax fcgov.com MEMORANDUM Date: January 12, 2023 To: Mayor and City Council Members CC: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager SeonAh Kendall, Economic Health Director From: Economic Advisory Board for 2023: Chair, Renee Walkup Vice-Chair, John Parks Re: Input from the Economic Advisory Board regarding changes to the Fort Collins Land Use Code The purpose of this memorandum is to provide input to the City Council regarding the proposed changes to the Land Use Code and the resulting petition drive to either repeal the new code or refer the issue to voters. The Economic Advisory Board is in support of repealing the code for further work and community engagement by City staff. Reasons for Support: • Repealing the code would allow the City to maintain ongoing engagement and oversight with the revision process. Sending the issue to vote would remove the ability for the City to cooperatively engage citizens to improve the code and make modifications to ensure a stronger, more universally accepted code. Sending the issue to vote may result in an all or nothing outcome, leaving the City on the outside of an iterative, community-based process. • City staff has spent many hours on modifying the code and engaging various stakeholders. It is critical to build upon this work rather than starting over. Time and effort has been spent by City staff, which can be leveraged to build a code that is more palatable and community accepted. This translates into a cost to the City (and its citizens) that can be built upon to build a stronger code. • Engaging a diverse set of stakeholders in the revision process, including those who voiced opposition to the new land development code could create broader support. The city is a leader in open dialogue and deliberation, and it is critical to engage community members with a diverse set of perspectives to reach a common agreement. Economic Health Office 300 LaPorte Avenue PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6505 970.224.6107 – fax fcgov.com • Sending the code to a citizen vote places the issue in a political realm with special interest groups placing influence on the process. Already, multiple special interest groups have lined up on both sides of the issue, which could turn a vote into a politically charged environment. This can lead to confusion and frustration with voters, which could result in unintended outcomes. The Economic Advisory Board (EAB) appreciates the work that the City Council and staff have done to update the land use codes and recommend that council repeal the codes to give city staff and residents the opportunity to further engage on further refining the Land Development Code. The Economic Advisory Board agrees with the guiding principles of the Land Development Code0F 1 as laid out by the Council, which are to: • to increase overall housing capacity, • enable more affordability, especially near high-frequency transit and amenities, • allow for more diverse housing choices that fit with the existing neighborhood context • make the code easier to use and understand, and • improve predictability of the development review process, especially for housing. The EAB recognizes the challenge of a tight housing market in the city, especially the burden it places on disproportionately marginalized communities. The EAB also recognizes how updating this code supports the City Plan (2019), the Housing Strategic Plan (2021), Our Climate Future (2021), and the Transit Master Plan (2019). We are optimistic that through repealing and further refining the Land Development Code, Council will be able to pass a future version that achieves many of the same goals with broader understanding and support from the Fort Collins residents. 1 City of Fort Collins. November 2022. 2022 Land Development Code Fact Sheet. https://www.fcgov.com/housing/files/ldc-fact-sheet-nov-2022.pdf?1669064656