Cobb County Unified Development Code Installment One - Public Review Draft Questionnaire |
Introduction
Cobb County has released Installment One of the new Unified Development Code (UDC). The UDC will replace the Zoning Ordinance in Chapter 134 of the County Code of Ordinances, and will be the set of regulations that governs how land can be used and developed in the County. Installment One is available for download from the Documents and Work Products page.
The most significant part of Installment One is Article 2: Administration. This article consolidates the decision-making bodies and review procedures from the current Zoning Ordinance into a single chapter. This is done in in order to better improve the usability and readability of the County's land development regulations, as discussed in the Code Assessment.
Overall, the way development applications are reviewed and decisions are made is not changing significantly. The Board of Commissioners continues to play a major role in making land use decisions and remains responsible for approving rezonings, special land use permits, and other approvals. The new UDC does make some limited changes to the development review process. The most substantial of these are:
The most significant part of Installment One is Article 2: Administration. This article consolidates the decision-making bodies and review procedures from the current Zoning Ordinance into a single chapter. This is done in in order to better improve the usability and readability of the County's land development regulations, as discussed in the Code Assessment.
Overall, the way development applications are reviewed and decisions are made is not changing significantly. The Board of Commissioners continues to play a major role in making land use decisions and remains responsible for approving rezonings, special land use permits, and other approvals. The new UDC does make some limited changes to the development review process. The most substantial of these are:
- A new Neighborhood Meeting step in the development review process. This new process requires applicants who are applying for a rezoning or a special land use permit to organize a community meeting prior to staff review of the application in a place convenient for nearby residents. The goal of the Neighborhood Meeting is to provide an opportunity for applicants and nearby residents to discuss a project at an early stage.
- A new Administrative Variance procedure. This will allow staff to approve limited, discrete changes to development standards such as required building setbacks to accommodate specific site conditions, as long as these changes would not impact the surrounding community; and
- Three new procedures that formalize review tasks that County staff are performing today—a Zoning Compliance permit procedure, an Interpretation procedure, and a minor subdivision procedure.
Installment One also includes Article 1: General Provisions, Article 7: Nonconformities, and Article 9: Definitions. Please visit the website for more information about what is included in these articles.
The release of Installment One of the new UDC is a key milestone in the update of Cobb County’s Zoning Ordinance. Public input will guide and assist County staff and the consultant team in revising this draft and making sure it facilitates efficient, healthy, and compatible development that meets the community’s needs. This questionnaire provides a set of questions to assist you in thinking about the new UDC. Your input is important, and we appreciate your taking time to respond. You are encouraged to be frank and open.
You do not need to answer every question. Any suggestions, even those unrelated to a question, will be helpful, so do not hesitate to share your thoughts. Please visit the project website for more information about the project, including public events, project work products, and additional opportunities to provide feedback, both in-person and online. If you have further questions, please contact the project team via the website's comment portal.