Questions to P&Z Director:

What is MPZ

How is it different from RPC or C-4?  

• Mix of commercial and residential in a mass scale and the attractive planned community? Shouldn't this kind of planning be initiated by the County and the residents (top-down) instead of the developer (bottom-up)?

Open community?

• No HOAs? Public roads/stormwater ponds/street lights  with higher taxes in lieu of HOA fees?

• Interconnectivity?

• DelDOT involvement in the initial stage of conceptual plan approval process, rather than after the approval ?

Mandate of public facilities/civic areas?  

• Public meeting places (in lieu of clubhouse)?

Open/green space? 

• Public parks or playgrounds (or ball parks)?

Restrictions?

• Are there certain commercial uses banned?

• Requirements "won't be as strict" as it was when Bayside was built? A Mega-Bayside? Sun City + 5 Points in one easy step? 

Time Frame of Plan Implementation, or Expiration of the Approval?

For Whom

• What make MPZ attractive to the developers and the County residents?

Why - the Purpose and the Lure 

• Is it necessary? While it has to be a developer-driven zoning district, why would developers pursue it?

• If it is for the good of the County residents, what would be the incentive offered to the developers to seek MPZ?  Maybe the combined, streamlined, and cheaper approval process without much of public's objection? Would it be a worthwhile trade?

Where

• In which areas would MPZ be suitable? 

• Minimum parcel size?

When

• Is this the right time to introduce this new zoning district? Or, is it too late?

How - The Procedural Details

• PLUS Review?

• When does the public get involved in the approval process of MPZ? Only during the whole conceptual plan approval, or also for each land use preliminary plans?

• How flexible is MPZ for the developers to change their mind/plans from the approved conditions? What would be the process of substantive and minor changes, with or without the public's involvement? 

Our understanding of the approval process:

• The first process step is collaboration with P&Z [and DelDOT] to develop a Master Plan, Master Manual, and Spatial Distribution Plan.

  • the Spatial Distribution Plan is a visualization of planned density and land use type [residential, commercial, civic, open space]

  • however, these would be conceptual in character and not at a granular level of detail

• The public hearing would follow and be based on the work product of this first step - a conceptual understanding of what is planned; there is no public involvement beyond this stage.

• Development of detailed specs and drawings [Implementation Plan and Manual] and Final Site Development would be subject to P&Z review and approval.

• No discussion yet about a process for handling substantive changes in the approved plan, or whether/when re-involvement of County Council and/or the public would be triggered. 

About Ordinance Adoption Process:

What is the process/procedure of adopting MPZ Ordinance?

When, how and how much do the public/developers/DelDOT get involved in the adoption process?

Time frame?

A few things from the conversation with Dir. 

• This ordinance is supported and recommended by Sussex Comprehensive Plan and the staff has been working on it for some time. It is still in its early stage, though.

• The public will have chances to make comments, but he was not sure whether there would be a workshop before the public hearing. He is aware that the public is paying attention to the details.

• While RPC (Residential Planned Community) is not a zone itself, but is an overlay of underlying residential zoning districts and C-4 is mainly a commercial district with some residential areas thrown in. MPZ is a bigger scale and balanced mix of residential and commercial.

• The benefit to the developer is the predictability and streamlined, single application for multiple subdivisions and commercial applications.

• The public is not to be given a chance to make comments after the initial approval. Maybe we should get them to clarify this.

• It is not an 'open community' with no HOAs. There will be HOAs or condo associations.

• Some roads to commercial areas will be public, but residential areas will be private.

• Open/green space requirements are not yet decided.

• A Civic area, such as a library or a police station, is a suggestion, but not a requirement.

• Industrial operations will not be allowed in MPZ. 

• It will go through the State Planning Dept's PLUS Review, but the procedures will still have to be worked on with the State.

I told him to consider another term (other than Master Planning) since Master Planning conjures up an idea of top-down County-initiated plans.