Council modifies recommendations for developers

In 2005, council adopted a policy regarding its recommendations for developers and how they deal with property owners near potential development sites. The guidelines have been an effort to ensure that council does not have to deal with minute changes to development proposals at its biweekly meetings.

Due to comments and complaints from some neighbors, and frustration with continued council handling of small development details, council modified its recommendations.

One change: Developers should hold neighborhood meetings early enough to consider neighbor comments and make changes if needed, no less than 21 days before the planning and zoning commission meeting.

The recommendation also requires developers to send notices to neighbors at least 10 days prior to the meeting.

Mayor Tom Carlson expressed his frustration in having to mediate disagreements between developers and neighbors during council meetings.

“It’s important to remind ourselves that the council’s job is not to redo everything the planning and zoning commission did,” he said. “If that’s the case, then we shouldn’t have a planning and zoning commission in the first place.”

See SBJ’s Aug. 6 issue for more on council’s July 30 meeting.