I. Council Action Requested.
Title
To refer proposed amendments to the Land Use Ordinance, Chapter 140 of the Code of the Town of Windham adding new standards to implement the vision of the 21st Century Downtown Plan for North Windham and the Comprehensive Plan, to the Planning Board for review and recommendation.
Body
II. Basis for Council Action.
Council approval of this item is required because;
a. Section 107 of the Land Use Ordinance (Chapter 140 of the Code of the Town of Windham) states “After review and recommendation by the Planning Board, this chapter may be amended in accordance with the Town Charter.”
III. Issue Summary.
Please refer to the attached memo regarding the proposed amendments, which were discussed at the Council meeting of October 17, 2017 (CD 17-292). The discussion concluded with the idea of putting the 21st Century Downtown amendments in place alongside the town’s current zoning (with staff-recommended modifications to embody a number of the most important aspects of the 21st Century Downtown).
The two systems both would be in place for a transition period to be defined by the Council in the ordinance (and which could be subject to further modification). Applicants would have a choice of which system to use. Especially during this transition phase the town would have to work closely with applicants and the consultants that helped developed the new code to ensure that projects deliver what the code intends, as well as identify any issues that might need to be addressed with further amendments.