Development projects that require a Zoning Change or Specific Use Permit will be reviewed under the Comprehensive Plan’s criteria.  Applicants should review the resources below to determine: 

Applicant Checklist

The applicant is responsible for providing a Concept Plan that includes the necessary information in a site data table to conduct an analysis, such as:  

  • Site Acreage (total and for each lot)
  • Right-of-Way Acreage
  • Open Space Acreage
  • Building Footprint Square Footage 
  • Building Heights
  • Number of Residential Units* 
  • Parking Layout
  • Pedestrian, transit, and micromobility amenities

Analysis Resources

Staff uses the following Comprehensive Plan elements, tools, and resources to analyze a development proposal's alignment with the Comprehensive Plan: 

  • Vision & Guiding Principles
  • Future Land Use Map & Dashboards
  • How to Read the Dashboards
  • Comprehensive Plan Maps 
  • Land Use & Housing Inventory Guide (LUHI)
  • Glossary 
  • Redevelopment & Growth Management Policy (RGM)
  • Findings Policy*

Comprehensive Plan Analysis Tools

Future Land Use Map

How to Read the Dashboards

Land Use & Housing Inventory Guide

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ANALYSIS PROCESS

     Steps

Process 

Resource LInks  
One
Future land use 
Category 
The FLU Map is reviewed to determine the subject property’s 
Future Land Use category.
Two

FUTURE LAND USE
Dashboard

Each FLU Dashboard includes a general description, list of priorities, mix of uses chart, and table of desirable character defining elements.  Staff will use all aspects of the Dashboard to review the proposed zoning change.
Three
Current LUHI 
Classification
The LUHI Data Tool is reviewed to determine what land use type the property is currently classified as listed in the Mix of Uses, the location's measurement area, the estimated acreage, and the number of dwelling units (if applicable).
Four
Mix of Uses 
Analysis  
Using the LUHI Data Tool, staff conducts a LUHI analysis to determine how the proposal impacts or measures up to the recommended Mix of Uses in the associated Future Land Use Dashboard.
Five
Desirable Character Defining Elements 
The Desirable Character Defining Elements section of the Dashboard provides recommendations about the general form and design of the various land use categories.  See the How to Read the Dashboards section of the Plan for more detail on the Desirable Character Defining Elements.
Six
Other 
Comprehensive 
plan policies 
The FLU Map and Dashboards are only one component of the Comprehensive Plan.  Staff reviews the Plan’s other maps, policies, and actions to determine if the development is appropriate.
Seven
Findings 
Policy  
Staff determines if a proposal conforms to the Comprehensive Plan criteria.  Zoning change requests that do not conform to the mix of uses, density, and building heights as described in the Dashboards are disfavored and require a justification of findings. 

Review the Preliminary Analysis Form for a more detailed overview of the Comprehensive Plan analysis process.  

Land Use & Housing Inventory

The Land Use & Housing Inventory is a citywide, database of existing land uses and housing units, separated into categories:

  • Employment Types: 
    • Retail Types 
    • Office Types
    • Institutional Types
    • Industrial Types
    • Undeveloped, Employment
  • Housing Types: 
    • Detached Single-family Types
    • Attached Single-family Types
    • Multifamily Types
    • Undeveloped, Housing

This new tool allows for zoning change requests to be reviewed for consistency with the recommended Mix of Uses in the Future Land Use Dashboards. 

Because land uses change over time, the inventory will be routinely monitored and updated on a quarterly basis to match existing conditions.

Findings Policy

According to the Redevelopment & Growth Management Policy's Action RGM1, zoning change requests that do not conform to the mix of uses, density, and building heights as described in the Dashboards are disfavored. Requests that do not conform to these criteria may be occasionally allowed when found: 

  • Consistent with the Guiding Principles of the Comprehensive Plan; and
  • Substantially beneficial to the immediate neighbors, surrounding community, and general public interest.

To enact RGM1, City Council adopted a Findings Policy that requires the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council make a set of findings that explain what the request was approved under these circumstances. These findings represent a "higher bar" for approval of such requests than zoning petitions that meet the associated criteria.