The District at Sugar Creek Planned Development

Zoning Process

All property owners within the city have a right to submit a zoning application for proposed development on their property. When a property owner submits a zoning application, city staff provides a comprehensive review of the proposal prior to initiating the public meeting process. The public meeting process with the Planning & Zoning Commission typically proceeds as follows:

• First meeting is typically in the form of a workshop where staff and applicant team receive feedback from the Commission on the proposal.
• Then a public hearing is scheduled where additional feedback and direction is provided to staff and the applicant team. This is also where any members of the public are invited to speak regarding the proposal.
• The final meeting with the Planning & Zoning Commission is where staff would provide a recommendation to the Commission on the proposal, and where the Commission would ultimately provide a recommendation to the City Council.

It is important to note that simply moving an application through the zoning application and meeting process is no guarantee of staff support or ultimate Planning & Zoning Commission or City Council approval.

The Planning & Zoning Commission held a workshop on this proposed development during their regularly scheduled meeting on September 14th. This was an opportunity for the Commission to review the proposal, ask questions of the applicant and staff, and provide feedback. This meeting was open to the public. The next step in the zoning process after this meeting was to hold a Public Hearing with the Planning & Zoning Commission, which was an opportunity for the public to attend the meeting and provide feedback to the Commission. This meeting was scheduled for October 28th, however due to an unexpected power outage at City Hall, the meeting was cancelled and was rescheduled for January 11, 2022. The public hearing meeting was open to the public.

The next step in the meeting process after the Public Hearing is for the Planning & Zoning Commission to make a recommendation to City Council on the zoning application. This meeting is known as Consideration and Action and it was scheduled for Thursday, February 24, 2022. At the conclusion of this meeting, the Planning & Zoning Commission voted 6-2 in favor of a recommendation of approval to the Mayor and City Council for the development proposal.

Following the Planning & Zoning Commission review, the public meeting process has begun with the City Council. On March 22^nd the City Council held a workshop to review the Land Use Plan policy direction and guidance for Regional Activity Centers and Neighborhood Activity Centers, as well as discuss The District at Sugar Creek Final Development Plan project proposal and how it aligns with the Land Use Plan guidance for mixed use development in a Regional Activity Center. There was a public comment portion at the beginning of this meeting where the public was able to speak regarding this workshop item to provide feedback to City Council on this agenda item. Additional public input opportunities will exist as part of a future public hearing meeting to be scheduled with City Council.

The next step in the zoning process is for the City Council to hold a public hearing and first reading of the ordinance for The District at Sugar Creek Final Development Plan proposal, which has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 24, 2022. This is another opportunity for the public to attend and provide feedback to the City Council on this agenda item. The upcoming meeting agenda, which will include detailed information and graphics on the project proposal, will be posted on the city’s website by Friday, May 20, 2022.