Site Plan/Plot Plan and Revisions (TC-14-19)
Site Plan/Plot Plan and Revisions (TC-14-19)
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For updates on the text change process please visit the City of Raleigh text change web page.
Site Plan/Plot Plan and Revisions (TC-14-19): Amend the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to incorporate a 3-tiered system for categorizing site plans based on construction type and level of impact. It will include two categories, minor and major, for modifications to approved site plans. It will also confirm the site plan standards to the new Chapter 160D of the North Carolina General Statutes for development regulations. This text change is intended to simplify the approval process for small-scale projects and changes of use in existing buildings by scaling regulatory burdens to the impact of the development.
Background information:
A site plan is a set of detailed drawings that show different structural and design elements on a given lot and how they all fit together. Often included in the site plan are: building footprint, parking lots, walkways, driveways, utilities, sewer lines, and water lines. It's generally a bird's eye view of what goes where on a lot. Site plans are generally used by contractors and builders for development on lots.
A plot plan is like a site plan in that it also outlines the structural and design elements on a given lot and how they fit together. The difference between the two is that a plot plan is generally used for smaller projects. Sometimes this is referred to as a "minor site plan."
Current Rules:
1. The UDO makes repeated use of the term "site plan" but not define it.
2. The UDO currently references plot plans and treats them differently than site plans. "Plot plan" is a non-standard term.
3. The applicability and the review standards outlined in the UDO are based on whether something is considered a plot plan or a site plan.
4. The UDO currently references the Development Services Department. The Development Services Department is now the Planning and Development Department.
5. The UDO outlines parameters for classifying modifications to an approved site plan as "minor." There is currently no classification for "major" modifications.
6. Because the UDO does not currently include a classification for "major modifications," no procedures for approving these modifications have been established in the code.
7. Some portions of the UDO are not consistent with the language provided in the new Chapter 160D of the North Carolina General Statutes for development regulations.
Proposed Text Change:
1. The proposed text change offers a definition of a site plan: A scaled drawing and supporting text showing the relationship between lot lines and the existing or proposed uses, buildings, or structures on the lot. The site plan may include site-specific details such as building areas, building height and floor area, setbacks from lot lines and street rights-of-way, intensities, densities, utility lines and locations, parking, access points, roads, and stormwater control facilities that are depicted to show compliance with all legally required development regulations that are applicable to the project and the site plan review.
2. The proposed text change would remove references to plot plans. Instead, what was previously a plot plan would be considered the first tier of a three-tiered structure for site plans (see #3 below and Section 5 of the draft ordinance).
3. The proposed text change would create a three-tiered site plan structure that would differentiate site plans based on their level of impact on the site. Each tier comes with a distinct set of review standards and site requirements. You can see the differences among the tiers in the Table of Applicable Standards (Section 6 of the draft ordinance).
4. The proposed text change would remove all references to "Development Services" and replace it with "the City." An example of this change can be found in the requirement for a pre-application meeting. Applicants are no longer required to meet with the "Development Services Director"; they will now meet with an appointed representative of the City of Raleigh.
5. The proposed text change would still allow for the classification of modifications as "minor" but there would be increased flexibility in the parameters used to make this determination. Modifications not labeled as "minor" would be considered "major." Minor modifications would require fewer steps in the review process than major modifications.
6. The proposed text change would give the Planning Commission final authority to approve major modifications to site plans that had been approved using previous standards in the UDO.
7. The proposed text change would make the language of this ordinance consistent with the new 160D of the North Carolina General Statutes for development regulations.